THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

LIBRARY 


THE  WILMER  COLLECTION 
_0F  CIVIL  WAR  NOVELS 
PRESENTED  BY 

RICHARD  H.  WILMER,  JR. 


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KiutocoLuci. 


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U"uj 


FRANK   NELSON; 


OR, 


®]j«  Miinafumj  po{i. 


f      f 


BY 
MRS.  P.  A.  HANAPORD, 

ADTHOR  or     "  THE  TOUNO  CAPTAIN,"  "  OUB  MARTYRED  PRESIDENT, 
"  UFE  oy  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,"  ETC 


BOSTON: 

WILLIAJM  H.  HILL,  JR.  &  CO., 

32  CORNIIILL, 
1866. 


Entered  A.>cordmg  U>  Act  of  Conffrees,  in  the    year  1866,  by 

MRS.  P.  A.  HANAFORD, 
In   the  Clerk's  Offlce  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


mt  M'U  Mmm. 


i^cni(ni». 


CHAPTER  I. 
The  Impatient  Boy,  , 7 

CHAPTER  II. 
Inauguration  Dav, 21 

CHAPTER  III. 
"Tnie  Blue," 41 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Out  on  the  Ocean, 61 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Voyage, 76 

CHAPTER  VI. 
•♦To  Arms!  ** 92 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  New  Home, HO 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Letters, 122 

CHAPTER  IX. 
A  Change, 136 

602935 


VI.  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 
On  Board  the  Clio, .152 

CHAPTER  XI. 
In  the  Dory,        .  165 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Old  Fort, 185 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
"High  Hook,"    ...  198 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Ocean  Scenes, 211 

CHAPTER  XV. 
"True  Blue"  in  the  Army,.    .       .  ...    212 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  Dying  Soldier, 235 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
"Buried  Under  Arras," 247 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Sister's  Search 259 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Home  Again, 284 


CHAPTER  I 


THE  IMPATIENT  BOY. 


dlT:^^ 


'HERE  goes  my  shoe-string  !  " 
exclaimed  Frank  Nelson,  in  a 
cross,  impatient  voice,  and 
with  a  scowl  on  his  face  that 
looked  rather  unamiable,  to 
say  the  least ;  "  that's  just  the 
way !  if  a  fellow  wants  to  get 
out  in  good  season,  some  pesky  thmg  as  this 
happens.     Hang  it,  I  say  !  " 

"  What !  scolding  again,  brother  Frank  ?  " 
said  a  mild  voice,  and  light  steps  were  heard 
ascending  the  staircase. 

"  Come  in  here !  '*  was  the  ungracious  re- 


8  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

sponse,  ill  a  tone  more  like  that  of  a  captain 
on  his  quarter-deck  to  a  mutinous  crew,  than 
the  voice  in  which  a  brother  should  speak  to  a 
sister,  especially  to  one  so  lovely  and  lovable 
as  Mary  Nelson,  and  the  senior  of  her  brother, 
too,  by  several  years. 

"I'm  almost  afraid  to  enter  that  den,"  was 
the  playful  answer,  "  the  lion  roars  so." 

"  You'll  hear  him  roar  louder  still,  old  girl, 
if  you  don't  find  me  a  shoe-string,  and  that  in 
double  quick  time,  too." 

"  I'm  not  a  Zouave,  Frankie  ;  what  should  I 
know  of '  double  quick,'  and,  do  let  me  look  in 
your  fragment  of  a  mirror,  —  do  you  remem- 
ber how  a  boy's  boot,  flung  heedlessly  against 
it,  in  a  paroxysm  of  impatience,  broke  it  one 
sunny  Sabbath  morning,  a  morning  whose 
brightness  ought  to  have  soothed  all  impatient 
feelings," 

"  There,  there,  don't  preach !  "  interrupted 
the  wayward  boy.  "  I  tell  you,  old  girl,  I 
want  a  shoe-string.    Get  one,  right  oflf." 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  9 

"  Let  me  look  in  your  mirror  and  see  if  I 
do  look  like  an  old  girl.  Not  so  very,  after 
all !  "  And  the  rosy  lips  smiled  archly,  as  the 
soiil-speaking  eyes  of  heaven's  own  blue,  saw 
only  a  face  which  was  singularly  faultless  in- 
color  and  feature,  and  which  would  well  have 
answered  for  Longfellow's  beautiful  Evange- 
line. 

"  Now  stand  there  like  a  ninny !  I  tell  you 
I  want  a  shoe-string.  Ill  run  away  some- 
time, if  I  can't  have  a  little  liberty  at  home. 
Here  I've  been  digging  and  delving  all  the 
morning  when  I  wanted  to  be  off  to  see  the 
fun,  and  now,  of  course  my  shoe-string  must 
break." 

Mary  passed  on  to  her  own  chamber.  In  a 
moment  she  returned.  "  Here's  a  shoe-string," 
said  she,  "  and  I'll  help  you  put  it  in,  if  you'll 
listen  patiently  to  me  a  moment.  I  wish  you 
could  learn  to  speak  more  pleasantly,  and  to 
use  fewer  objectionable  words  and  phrases.  It 
pains  mother  and  me  to  hear  you  talk  so !  " 


10  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

All  this  while  Mary  had  been  weaving  in 
and  out  of  the  eyelet-holes  the  desired  shoe- 
string, and  Frank  was  listening  to  her  words 
with  what  grace  he  could  muster.  But  he  did 
not  look  very  penitent,  and  finally  as  she  put 
the  string  through  the  last  eyelet  and  took 
hold  of  both  ends  in  order  to  tie  the  shoe 
closely,  still  talking  to  him  about  his  un- 
gracious words  and  tones,  he  whistled  impa- 
tiently, and  then  spoke  again  :  — 

"  But  what  must  a  fellow  do,  my  chicken- 
hearted  sister?  I  can't  whisper  when  I'm 
aching  to  scream,  and  I  can't  stop  to  weigh 
and  select  my  words  when  I'm  in  a  hurry  to 
let  somebody  know  my  mind,  before  you  can 
say  Jack  Robinson." 

"  But  why  be  so  desirous  of  yelling,  since 
you're  not  an  Indian,  or  so  much  in  haste 
when  you  've  twenty-four  hours  in  every  day, 
and  not  much  with  which  to  fill  them  ?  " 

"My  twenty-four  hours  are  too  well  filled 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  11 

with  work,  and  so,  I  say  again,  I'm  going  to 
run  away.  I'm  bound  to  do  it.  If  you  miss 
me  some  day  you'll  know  I'm  following  Rob- 
inson Crusoe,  or  some  other  adventurer." 

"  Like  him,  I  hope,  to  return  again  safely, 
brother  Frank."  And  the  warm-hearted  sis- 
ter threw  her  arms  around  her  brother  and 
kissed  him.  She  did  not  believe  he  meant 
what  he  said,  but  his  words  conjured  up  in  her 
mind  such  a  picture  of  distresses  and  perils 
he  might  encounter,  if  he  should  be  wayward 
and  fool-hardy  enough  to  fulfill  what  she 
deemed  an  idle  threat,  that  the  tears  came 
into  her  eyes,  and  she  earnestly  whispered, 
"  Don't  go,  Frank,  don't  go !  " 

Often,  in  after  days  did  he  remember  those 
words,  and  recall  that  scene.  But  he  writhed 
under  it  then,  and  the  purpose,  which  he  had 
really  formed,  remained  unshaken.  Strug- 
gling to  get  away  from  the  embrace  of  his 
gentle  sister,  he  laughed  mockingly,  while  his 


12  THE    RUNAWAY  BOY. 

heart  smote  him  for  his  laugh  and  words,  and 
said,  "Don't  waste  your  tears  on  such  a 
scrapegrace  as  I  am.  If  you  hold  me  any 
longer  I  shall  be  late.  You  shall  go  with  me, 
if  you  want  to,  and  be  my  Friday.  But  now  I 
must  be  off  to  see  the  Inauguration.'' 

He  snatched  his  cap,  ran  his  fingers  through 
his  hair,  tossing  it  up  off  a  broad,  white  fore- 
head, and  bounded  out  of  his  chamber,  and 
down  the  stairs,  leaping  several  steps  as  he 
neared  the  bottom  of  the  flight. 

His  mother  opened  the  parlor  door  as  he 
laid  his  hand  on  the  knob  of  the  front  door. 
''  Frank  !  "  said  she,  stop  a  minute !  "  He 
obeyed,  but  with  evident  reluctance.  "  Do  be 
careful,  my  son,"  she  continued,  "  about  the 
company  you  keep  to-day.  There  is  much  to 
see,  and  to  hear,  but  you  will  see  with  differ- 
ent eyes  and  hear  with  different  ears  if  you 
are  with  good  boys,  than  if  you  are  with  bad 
ones.  You  cannot  be  too  careful  in  choosing 
your  company." 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  13 

Frank  had  heard  words  like  these  many 
times  before,  from  the  same  faithful  mother. 
He  did  not  dare  reply  with  disrespect,  but  he 
turned  the  knob  impatiently,  and  looked  an- 
noyed. In  a  moment  he  said,  "  I  don't  want 
to  be  in  leading-strings  always,  mother." 

An  expression  of  pain  flitted  across  the 
mother's  pale  face.  Her  son  saw  it,  and  felt 
sorry  he  had  spoken  thus.  He  added,  in  a 
softened  tone,  "  1  '11  try  to  be  good,  mother. 
But  it 's  time  to  go  now ! "  and  so  saying  he 
opened  the  door,  and  in  a  moment  was  flying 
down  the  street  with  the  speed  natural  to  a 
boy  of  fourteen.  Every  avenue  and  street 
and  even  by-way,  in  that "  City  of  magnifi- 
cent distances  "  in  which  Frank  resided,  was 
alive  with  people,  hurrying  to  and  fro,  but 
most  of  them  tending  towards  the  more  public 
thoroughfares,  and  pausing  at  last  in  some 
street  through  which  the  inaugural  procession 
was  to  pass.    The  city,  as  the  reader  may 


14  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

easily  conjecture,  was  Washington,  the  Capital 
of  the  nation,  and  the  Inauguration,  they  may 
as  well  be  told  at  once,  was  that  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  the  sixteenth  President  of  the  United 
States. 

Washington  is  a  fine  city,  in  some  respects. 
It  has  many  wide  and  beautiful  streets  and 
avenues,  and  is  laid  out  on  a  somewhat  grand- 
er scale  than  some  of  our  more  northen  cities 
with  their  crowded  houses  and  narrow  crooked 
streets.  Many  elegant  public  edifices  adorn 
the  city,  and  some  of  the  private  mansions  are 
built  in  a  style  of  palatial  magnificence. 
Among  the  public  buildings  are,  first  of  all, 
the  Capitol,  in  which  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  always  meets,  a  superb  edifice, 
familiar  in  its  appearance  like  the  State  House 
in  Boston  to  the  minds  of  the  New  England 
boys  and  girls,  because  of  the  many  pictures 
which  are  published  of  it.  Then  there  is  the 
large  and  beautiful  building  where  the  Presi- 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  15 

dent  resides,  and  which  is  called  the  "  White 
House."  The  Treasury  Buildings,  and  the 
Patent  Office  attract  the  attention  of  visitors, 
and  at  the  time  Frank  ran  down  the  street, 
the  Smithsonian  Institute  was  another  noble 
structure  awakening  admiration  in  the  behold- 
er. Since  that  day  it  has  been  disfigured  and 
partially  destroyed  by  the  ravages  of  that 
"  good  servant  but  bad  master  "  —  Fire. 

The  city  of  Washington  is  finely  located  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Potomac  river,  on  its 
north-east  side,  and  between  two  small  tribu- 
taries—  the  one  on  the  east  called  the  East 
Branch,  the  western  one  called  Rock  Creek. 
The  latter  stream  separates  it  from  George- 
town. Both  these  places  —  Washington  and 
Georgetown  —  are  situated  within  the  limits 
of  the  District  of  Columbia,  which  has  an 
area  of  about  sixty  miles,  and  a  population  of 
some  fifty-two  thousand. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  pro- 


16  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

vides  that  the  Federal  Government  shall  have 
exclusive  jurisdiction  over  a  territory  ten 
miles  square,  and  that  in  it  shall  be  located 
the  capital  of  the  country.  So  the  city  in 
which  Frank  lived,  was  not  under  the  control 
of  any  State  oflficers  like  Boston,  New  York 
and  other  cities  of  the  Union,  though  like  all 
those  cities  it  had  a  Mayor  and  other  usual 
city  officers.  But  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  with  the  President  at  their  head,  exer- 
cised particular  authority  over  Washington 
and  Georgetown,  and  all  the  District  of 
Columbia. 

Frank  was  not  born  in  ^Washington.  He 
was  a  New  England  boy,  born  amid  the  moun- 
tains of  the  old  Granite  State,  but  he  was 
early  taken  to  the  South,  and  had  but  dim  and 
vague  recollections  of  his  Northern  bkth-place. 
His  father  had  been  unsuccessful  in  business, 
and,  when  Frank  was  about  eight  years  old, 
that  father  died,  leaving  his  wife  and  little 
ones  almost  penniless. 


THE   RUNAWAY    BOY.  17 

Mrs.  Nelson  was  a  woman  of  great  energy 
of  character,  but  was  in  feeble  health.  She 
succeeded,  however,  in  keeping  her  home, 
obtaining  the  means  of  a  livelihood  by  taking 
boarders,  as  a  great  many  persons  do  in  the 
city  of  Washington,  especially  during  the 
winter  season,  and  throughout  tlic  Congres- 
sional sessions,  for  then  the  city  is  likely  to  be 
thronged  with  company.  Mrs.  Nelson  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  the  means  of  education 
for  Frank,  while  his  sister,  who  was  some 
years  older,  and  who  had  acquired  a  fair 
share  of  the  lore  obtained  in  books  before  her 
father's  death,  and  who  possessed  decided 
musical  powers,  was  engaged  in  teaching 
music,  and  thus  assisted  her  mother. 

Although  Mrs.  Nelson  kept  a  limited  num- 
ber of  servants,  all  colored,  yet  she  was  often 
obliged  to  call  upon  her  son  to  aid  her  in 
various  ways.  She  had  tried  to  instil  into  his 
mind  an  idea  of  the  dignity  of  labor,  which 


18  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

in  a  New  England  atmosphere  might  have 
"grown  with  his  growth  and  strengthened 
with  his  strength,"  but  there,  nnder  the 
blighting  influence  of  opinions  engendered  by- 
slavery,  he  had  come  to  believe  it  ignoble  to 
toil,  especially  in  any  of  those  ways  in  which 
he  was  wont  to  assist  his  mother.  Certain 
companions,  too,  who  had  gathered  about  him, 
failed  not  to  influence  his  feelings  and  opinions, 
and  in  his  case  it  was  found,  as  alas  !  too 
many  a  parent  sadly  learns  —  that  "  evil  com- 
munications corrupt  good  manners."  His 
speech  had  become  abrupt  and  harsh,  his  con- 
versation interlarded  with  words  which  were 
not  the  most  classic  or  elegant,  and,  in  short, 
he  seemed  to  be  fast  changing  from  the  little 
boy  in  whom  his  father  took  such  pride,  and 
for  whom  he  so  earnestly  prayed  that  his  feet 
might  be  kept  from  the  snares  of  evil,  to  the 
rough,    ill-mannered  youth    who    was    more 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  .    19 

afraid  of  being  "  tied  to  his  mother's  apron 
strings  "  than  of  straying  into  paths  of  error 
and  wickedness. 

Having  thus  explained  "  the  whys  and 
wherefores "  of  Frankie's  residence  in  Wash- 
ington, and  the  influences  around  him,  we  can 
now  proceed  with  the  story  of  Frank's  adven- 
tures on  that  memorable  day,  and  on  others 
equally  memorable  to  him  as  an  individual, 
though  not  so  important  to  thejaation. 

All  this  while  that  I  have  been  speaking  of 
Frank's  home  and  family,  he  may  be  supposed 
to  have  been  running  down  the  street,  in  the 
expectation  of  meeting  his  comrades,  at  their 
usual  rendezvous,  under  the  sheltering  veran- 
dah or  piazza  of  a  well-known  restaurant. 
Boys  love  to  congregate  in  such  places,  and 
laugh  and  chat  or  play  with  one  another. 
Several  boys  were  there,  but  not  Frank's 
"  chums "  as  he  called  them.     So   he  stood 


20  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

whistling  and  waiting.  Suddenly  he  heard  a 
shout.  Every  boy  looked  and  then  ran. 
Frank's  heels,  too,  clattered  upon  the  pave- 
ment. 


CHAPTER  n. 


INAUGURATION  DAY. 

^HE  shout  proceeded  from  a 
group  of  boys  who  issued  out 
of  a  side  street,  and  desired  to 
attract  the  attention  of  their 
playmates  who  were  on  the 
piazza.  One  of  them  carried 
a  flag  —  the  "  dear  old  flag," 
with  its  stripes  and  stars  gleaming  in  the 
morning  sunshine.  There  was  an  answering 
"  Hurrah !  "  from  the  boys  who  came  to  meet 
them,  and  then  they  all  arranged  themselves 
in  marching  order,  and  proceeded  with  jubi- 

21 


22  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

lant  faces,  occasional  shouts,  and  measured 
steps  toward  the  vicinity  of  the  Capitol. 
"Young  America"  was  desirous  of  doing  its 
part  in  the  observance  of  the  day,  and  the 
Nineteenth  Century  cannot  spare  its  juveniles. 
On  they  went  till  they  came  to  the  street 
where  various  processions  were  forming,  and 
there  they  drew  up  in  line,  and  waited,  hoping 
for  recognition,  and  a  place  in  the  long  pro- 
cession. 

"  Oscar,"  whispered  Frank  to  a  boy  near 
him,  "  I  don't  like  all  this." 

"Nor  I  either,"  was  the  response  most 
heartily  given,  with  a  defiant  nod  of  the  head. 
"  I  want  to  see  more  fun.  If  we  stay  in  this 
company  we  can't  see  anything,  at  least,  only 
just  what's  round  us.  I  want  to  see  the 
whole." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Frank. 

"  Let's  clear  out !  "  said  Oscar. 

"  How  can  we  get  off  ? "  asked  Frank,  with 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  23 

a  look  at  the  burly  form  of  the  boy  who  was 
acting  leader  of  this  juvenile  band. 

"  I'll  do  it,"  answered  Oscar  ;  so  saying,  he 
went  boldly  up  to  the  selfniommissioned  cap- 
tain. Oscar  touched  his  cap  to  the  leader, 
and  his  intended  military  salute  was  appar- 
ently well  received.  "  Frank  and  I  have  some 
business  to  attend  to,  and  must  go  away  for  a 
few  moments.  Will  you  keep  our  places  for 
us,  so  that  when  we  get  back,  we  can  stand  as 
near  the  front  as  we  do  now  ?  '* 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  captain,  "  but  don't 
be  gone  more'n  a  month." 

"  No  !  "  shouted  Oscar,  and  rushing  back  to 
Frank,  he  seized  him  by  the  arm,  and  bore 
him  triumphantly  away,  notwithstanding  the 
remonstrances  of  some  of  the  boys  who  called 
Ihem  "  mean  "  for  "  backing  out." 

"Oh,  you  look  out  for  us  back  again,"  said 
Oscar.  "  The  Captain  has  just  promised  me 
wo  shall  have  the  same  places." 


24  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

"  All  right ! "  said  the  remonstrants,  appar- 
ently satisfied. 

"  Didn't  I  do  it  well  ? "  was  Oscar's  excla- 
mation, when  Frank  and  he  had  got  far 
enough  off  to  talk  freely.  "  I  made  the  Cap- 
tain, and  the  other  boys  too,  think  we  were 
coming  back.  I  came  it  over  them  just  as 
easy !  "  and  Oscar  laughed  complacently. 

Frank  thought  of  his  mother's  warning 
words,  and  felt  that  he  had  not  obeyed  her  in 
choosing  Oscar  for  a  companion.  Involunta- 
rily he  spoke, "  I  hope  you  didn't  tell  a  lie.'* 

"  Only  a  white  one,  Nelson.  Don't  be  such 
a  coward  that  you  can't  make  out  a  good  story 
when  it  suits  you.  Who  wants  to  weigh  every 
word?" 

"  But  I  don't  mean  to  go  back  to  the  pro 
cession  again  to  day.  That  is,  I  don't  mean 
to  join  it  with  the  boys." 

"'Well,  I  told  the  Captain  we  wouldn't  bo 
gone  more  than  a  month,  and  I  asked  him  to 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  25 

keep  our  places  for  us.  I  meant  for  him  to 
thiiik  we  were  coming  back  so  he  needn't 
make  a  rumpus  about  it.  But  it's  no  use 
talking  about  the  matter.  If  we  don't  go 
back  I'll  hatch  up  some  kind  of  an  excuse. 
Come  along,  and  don't  look  so  much  like  a 
criminal  going  to  be  hung  !  " 

Frank  said  no  more  about  it,  but  his  heart 
misgave  him.  He  felt  that  he  had  not  com- 
menced the  day  aright,  and  that  he  was  al- 
ready in  the  way  of  evil  doers.  Oscar  was  a 
boy  of  positive  opinions,  and  like  all  such  per- 
sons, young  or  old,  invariably  wielded  an  in- 
fluence over  his  companions,  which  according  to 
his  changeful  mood,  for  he  was  chameleon-liko 
and  very  different  at  different  times,  was  good 
or  evil.  Fertile  in  expedients  he  rarely  "  got 
into  a  scrape,"  as  he  called  his  misdeeds,  but 
that  he  got  out  of  it  somehow,  though,  alas ! 
not  unfrequently  by  a  complete  or  partial 
sacrifice  of  the  truth.    Frank  was  clear-sight- 


26  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

ed  enough  to  perceive  this  great  failing  of  his 
companion,  but  something  in  his  own  heart 
responded  at  times  to  that  very  propensity 
which  belonged  to  Oscar's  nature,  or  had  been 
habitual  so  long  as  to  become  "  second  nature," 
and  he  was  often  completely  under  Oscar's  in- 
fluence with  neither  the  power  nor  will  to 
resist. 

It  was  Oscar  who  had  sedulously  sought  to 
induce  Frank  to  leave  his  home,  and  seek  new 
and  strange  adventures.  His  own  wish  to  go 
arose  from  a  sheer  love  of  novelty  and  change. 
He  would  have  been  a  knight  errant  in  the 
days  of  yore,  and  the  stories  of  Robinson 
Crusoe  and  Sinbad  the  Sailor,  with  such  books 
as  "  Cook's  Voyages,"  and  the  like,  awoke  in 
him  an  irresistible  desire  to  travel  far  and 
wide,  amid  the  new  and  untried  scenes  of 
foreign  life. 

He  had  nearly  imbued  Frank  with  the  same 
spirit,  but  soon  found  that  the  most  powerful 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  27 

motive  to  be  urged  on  liis  young  companion 
—  younger  than  himself  by  three  years  —  was 
the  freedom  from  all  drudgery,  and  the  oppor- 
tunity to  earn  enough  to  place  his  mother  and 
sister   in  a  position   of  comparative   indepen- 
dence.    Oscar  wished  to  be  a  sailor,  but  his 
comrade  shrank  from  the  dangers  to  be  en- 
countered in  a  storm  at  sea,  or  from  a  leaky 
vessel.    They  were  therefore  only  agreed  as  to 
the  desirableness  of  running  away.     Neither 
had  any  reasonable  hope  of  being  ^permitted 
to  go  willingly,  and  rather  than  have  any 
delay,  both  had  decided  that  it  was  best  to 
make  the  attempt  to  depart  and  seek  fortune, 
secretly. 

But  on  the  day  of  which  we  write,  their 
minds  were  absorbed,  like  those  of  many  older 
persons,  in  the  ceremonies  incident  to  the 
inauguration  of  one  who  was  to  govern  a 
mighty  nation.  The  streets,  as  we  have  said, 
were  filled  with  the  populace,  most  of  the 


28  THE    RUNAWAY  BOY. 

people,  especially  the  women,  in  their  holiday 
attire.  Wooly  headed  boys  and  girls  were  to 
be  seen  in  all  directions,  especially  in  the 
vicinity  of  large,  aristocratic  looking  mansions 
in  which  an  army  of  servants  was  maintained. 
The  ceremonies  of  this  inauguration  have 
been  said  to  be  the  most  brilliant  and  imposing 
ever  witnessed  in  Washington. 

The  not  loud  but  deep  muttered  tlireats  of 
the  disaffected  Southerners,  together  with  the 
frequently  'given  assurance  that  "  Abe  Lin- 
coln "  should  never  be  President  of  .the  Re- 
public, led  the  authorities  at  Washington  to 
place  the  city  more  under  martial  protection 
than  usual.  Nearly  twenty  well-drilled  com- 
panies, belonging  to  the  District. of  Columbia 
were  on  parade.  They  comprised  a  force  of 
more  than  two  thousand  men,  and  with  their 
elegant  uniforms,  showy  brass  bands,  superbly 
dressed  officers  on  horseback,  and  the  long 
rows  of  gleaming  bayonets,  presented  an  ap- 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 


29 


pearance  of  martial  splendor  which  attracted 
the  attention  of  Frank  and  Oscar,  as  well  as 
the  eyes  of  many  children  of  a  larger  growth." 

"That's   a    Georgetown    company!"    ex- 
claimed Oscar.      "I   saw   them   drilling   the 
other  day  when  I  was  there.     Just  listen  to 
that  music.     It  is  soul  stirring!"     Frank  as- 
sented,  though  he  had  less  predilection  for 
military  display  than  Oscar.    "  Let's  go  up  on 
those  steps,  and  see  them  pass ! "  added  Oscar, 
and  pushing  their  way  through  a  crowd  of 
men  and  women  on  the  sidewalk,  they  suc- 
ceeded, by  much   scrambling,   such   as   boys 
imderstand,  in   reaching  the   top  of  a  high 
flight   of    steps,   in   front  of   a    large    stone 
mansion.     From   this  elevated  position   they 
watched    the    companies  which   rapidly   suc- 
ceeded each  other,  passing  to  their  places  in 
the  procession. 

There  were  fine  companies  of  cavalry,  each 
man  riding  a  powerful  horse,  whose  noble 


30  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

appearance  spoke  of  the  battlefield,  and  re- 
minded one  of  the  Scripture  mention  of  the 
war-horse  who  sayeth,  "  Aha !  aha !  and 
snuffeth  the  battle  afar  off." 

Then  there  were  companies  of  artillery 
dragging  huge  pieces  of  cannon  bright  as 
burnished  brass  or  polished  steel  could  be. 

Companies  of  infantry  came  one  after 
another,  till  they  seemed  to  be  like  the  sands 
of  the  sea-shore  for  multitude. 

A  gay  and  brilliant  pageant  was  thus  before 
the  eyes  of  the  youthful  spectators,  and  Oscar 
said  to  Frank,  "  I  wouldn't  have  missed  this 
for  anything.     It  is  capital,  isn't  it  ?  " 

After  these  companies  had  passed  the  spot 
wliere  Frank  and  Oscar  looked  with  eager  eyes 
of  unrestrained  admiration  upon  them,  the 
boys  concluded  to  go  on  to  the  City  Hall  and 
to  William's  Hotel.  Here  they  elbowed  their 
way  through  the  crowd,  gliding  aroimd  as 
boys  only  can,  now  here,  now  there,  but  always 
where  the  most  was  to  be  seen. 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  31 

A  motley  crowd  was  assembled  in  front  of 
both  these  buildings.  Troops  in  the  gorgeous 
trappings  of  military  display  were  stationed 
here,  both  to  preserve  order,  and  to  afford 
protection  to  the  city  officials,  the  United 
States  officers,  and  more  especially  to  the 
President  Elect  —  the  honest  man  whom  the 
majority  of  voters  had  chosen  to  send  to  the 
White  House. 

It  seemed  a  long,  long  time  before  the  pro- 
cession could  be  formed  in  due  order,  and  yet 
the  Marshal,  and  those  who  had  the  charge  of 
the  matter  did  not  seem  to  be  idle.  They 
were  seen  to  be  flying  hither  and  thither,  on 
horseback,  or  on  foot,  with  their  batons  in  their 
hands  which  was  their  badge  of  office,  and 
procured  for  them  profound  respect  and 
instant  obedience  on  such  an  occasion. 

At  noon  the  Senate  Committee  called  upon 
President  Buchanan  —  the  inefficient  old  man 
who  was  about  to  resign  his  office  to  a  worthier 


32  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

successor  —  and  then  accompanied  him  to 
William's  Hotel,  a  fine  large  edifice,  thronged 
with  travellers  and  boarders,  there  to  greet  the 
Illinois  Stateman  who  was  to  guide  the  Ship 
of  State  for  the  next  four  years. 

After  the  usual  delay,  the  party  with  the 
valuable  addition  of  the  President  elect  and 
his  friends,  proceeded  in  open  carriages  along 
the  avenue,  at  a  moderate  pace,  so  that  the 
vast  throngs  on  the  sidewalks,  balconies,  and 
at  the  windows,  could  have  a  fine  view  of  the 
dignitaries  of  the  land. 

Oscar  and  Frank  were  among  those  who 
gladly  stood  on  tiptoe  and  stretched  their 
necks  to  see  the  President  elect,  and  Frank 
made  the  sensible  remark  to  Oscar,"  in  a  sort 
of  undertone  —  "He  isn't  handsome,  I  tell 
you,  but  he  looks  good.  I  should  like  to  have 
6uch  a  looking  man  for  my  father.  I  know 
he'd  be  kind  to  me." 

"  Yes,"  answered  Oscar,  "  and  I  shouldn't 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  83 

be  afraid  to  have  him  for  a  judge  if  I  got  into 
a  scrape." 

Children  have  sharp  eyes.  They  are  great 
discerners  of  character.  And  Frank  and 
Oscar  were  not  the  only  ones  who  early  read- 
in  the  honest  face  of  Abraham  Lincoln  the 
generous  and  noble  nature,  the  tender-hearted 
opponent,  the  magnanimous  and  forgiving 
judge. 

Before  the  carriages  in  which  the  men 
whom  the  nation  delighted  to  honor  were 
seated,  marched  on  foot  or  on  horseback  the 
military  guard  and  escort,  with  the  loud  and 
inspiring  strains  of  martial  music,  the  stream- 
ing of  gorgeous  banners  and  all  the  pomp  and 
circumstance  of  war.  Scarcely  did  those  sol- 
diers imagine  how  soon  they  would  be  needed 
for  sterner  service,  and  those  musicians  that 
they  should  yet  soimd  the  reveille  on  the 
tented  field,  with  the  enemy  in  di-ead  array 
before  them,  and  the  prospect  also  of  a  day  of 


34  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

carnage  which  would  end  in  hard-won  victory 
or  sad  defeat. 

Thousands  of  private  citizens  in  carriages, 
on  horseback,  and  on  foot,  followed  in  the 
mighty  train.  The  various  arts  and  profes- 
sions, fire  companies,  masonic  bands  and 
others  with  their  showy  engines,  elegant  rega- 
lias, and  the  various  insignia  of  their  office  or 
employment,  added  to  the  brilliancy  of  the 
pageant,  with  the  spectators  of  all  ages  and 
both  sexes,  and  crowded  the  broad  street. 

The  inauguration  party  reached  the  Capitol 
by  passing  up  the  north  side  of  the  ground, 
and  entered  the  building  by  the  northern  door 
over  a  temporary  planked  walk. 

Here  Frank  and  Oscar  could  not  enter. 
But  those  who  did  found  that  it  was  already 
nearly  filled,  and  presented  a  gayer  spectacle 
than  ever  before.  The  usual  desks  of  the  sen- 
ators had  been  taken  away,  and  there  were 
concentric  lines   of   handsomely   ornamented 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  85 

chairs  placed  for  the  dignitaries  of  our  own 
and  of  other  lands  with  which  this  country 
was  in  bonds  of  amity  and  friendship. 

The  judges  of  the  Supreme  Coiu't  and  some 
of  the  senators  occupied  the  inner  half  circle 
of  chairs,  on  the  right.  The  corresponding 
half  circle  on  the  left  contained  the  members 
of  the  Cabinets  of  Mr.  Buchanan  and  Mr. 
Lincoln,  and  by  senators.  Senators  again  in 
the  next  half  circle,  and  then  the  members  of 
the  diplomatic  corps  all  in  the  full  court  dress 
of  their  respective  countries.  Their  dresses 
were  some  of  them  gorgeous  in  the  extreme, 
with  diamond  stars  and  brilliant  ribbons 
denoting  various  orders  and  ranks.  Other 
senators,  governors  of  States,  Territories,  &c., 
occupied  the  seats  further  back,  and  outside 
of  them  all,  stood  —  for  there  was  no  more 
room  for  seats  —  the  members  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  and  chief  officers  of  the 
executive  bureaus. 


36  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

The  galleries  all  round  the  room  were  occu- 
pied by  ladies,  the  privileged  wives  and  other 
friends  of  the  gentlemen  present.  It  was  a 
scene  long  to  be  remembered  by  those  who 
were  present.  Some  of  the  men  who  were 
there,  though  they  did  not  know  it,  were  never 
to  be  in  that  room  again  —  and  not  a  few  were 
to  be,  ere  another  Inauguration  Day,  disowned 
by  their  country  as  traitors,  infamous  and 
despised. 

At  a  quarter  past  one  o'clock  that  afternoon, 
President  Buchanan,  with  the  President  elect 
on  his  right,  sat  down  in  from  of  the  clerk's 
desk  in  that  senate  room,  facing  all  that 
august  and  brilliant  assembly.  Calm  as  a 
summer's  morning  was  the  face  of  that  great 
man  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  by  untiring  in- 
dustry connected  with  an  honorable  ambition, 
under  the  favor  of  Providence,  had  been  lifted 
to  occupy  the  proudest  position  in  the  land. 
He  was  good  as  well  as  great,  and  therefore, 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  37 

in  that  hour  of  proud  triumph,  what  would 
have  disconcerted  many  another  man,  failed 
to  ruffle  his  equanimity.  It  mattered  not  to 
him  if  men  of  high  rank  from  other  lands, 
proud  of  their  aristocratic  birth  and  lineage, 
were  there,  he  was  an  American,  honest,  in- 
dustrious, faithful,  and  upright;  deserving 
therefore  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all. 
He  was  a  consciencious  republican,  and  bowed 
to  no  man,  and  as  he  sat  there  felt  only  the 
burden  of  the  responsibilities  he  was  about  to 
assume. 

In  a  few  minutes  Vice  President  Hamlin, 
who  had  been  previously  installed,  ordered  the 
procession  to  be  formed  anew,  composed  of 
those  who  were  present.  They  were  to  march 
to  the  platform  on  the  east  of  the  Capitol,  and 
did  so,  as  soon  as  possible.  A  temporary  cov- 
ering had  been  placed  there  to  protect  the 
President  elect  from,  rain,  if  there  should  bo 
any,  while  he  read  his  Inaugural  Address.     A 


88  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

vast  audience  was  before  the  honest  stateman 
as  he  read,  and  his  clear,  loud  and  distinct 
voice,  must  have  entered  the  ears  of  at  least 
ten  thousand  persons.  After  he  had  read  liis 
Address,  the  oath  of  his  office  was  adninistered 
to  him  by  the  venerable  Cliief  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  Buchanan  was  now  no  long- 
er in  public  office,  but  Abraham  Lincoln,  the 
pioneer  boy  of  the  West,  was  the  head  of  the 
nation. 

Escorted  by  the  military  part  of  the  former 
procession,  the  new  President  then  went  to  the 
Executive  Mansion.  There  he  was  met  by 
General  Scott,  who  warmly  greeted  him,  and 
then  the  doors  of  the  house  were  opened,  and 
thousands  of  persons  rapidly  passed  through, 
shaking  hands  with  President  Lincoln,  who 
stood  in  the  reception  room  for  that  purpose. 
Thus  simply  and  quietly  was  a  change  of 
rulers  made  in  our  beloved  country,  when  the 
exigencies  of  the  times  greatly  demanded  new 
measures  and  new  men. 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  39 

Young  as  Frank  and  Oscar  were,  they  had 
become  interested  greatly  in  politics,  through 
reading  the  papers,  hearing  speeches  <fec.,  and 
when  they  saw  President  Lincohi  fairly 
inaugurated,  for  they  pressed  with  the  crowd, 
and  were  even  near  enough  to  hear  the 
Address,  they  were  jubilant  with  excitement, 
and  shouted  as  loud  as  any. 

"  I  wish  we  could  shake  hands  with  him," 
said  Oscar. 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Frank,  "  but  we  can't ;  we 
are  only  boj^s." 

"  I  don't  think  our  President  woidd  call  us 
only  boys,  or  slight  us  for  that.  You  ought 
to  have  heard  what  Adelbert  Brown  said  to- 
day. His  father  went  up  to  see  Mr.  Lincoln 
at  the  hotel,  and  he  had  his  little  boy — his 
name  is  Willie  Lincoln  —  in  his  arms,  and 
seemed  as  kind  to  him  as  any  father  could 
be." 

"  Oh  !  he's  a  good  man,  I  know.     I  wish  I 


40  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

could  be  as  good  as  lie,  by-and-by,"  answered 
Frank,  and  a  remorseful  feeling  was  gnawing 
at  his  heart,  as  he  remembered  how  rough  and 
unkind  he  often  was  at  home.  He  ahnost 
made  a  resolution  to  do  better,  but  he  remem- 
bered how  his  former  resolutions,  one  after 
another,  had  been  made  only  to  be  broken,  and 
he  forebore. 

"  Come,  let's  go  find  the  boys,  and  see 
what  they'll  say  to  us !  "  said  Oscar  ;  and  they 
started  off  for  the  place  of  rendezvous,  both, 
however,  feeling  hungry  enough  to  go  home. 


CHAPTER  III. 


TRUE    BLUE." 

•HE  streets  were  still  thronged, 
though  not  so  crowded,  with 
people.  The  day  was  one  of 
leisure  to  a  vast  number,  and 
they  seemed  determined  to 
make  it  one  of  festivity.  It 
was  March,  however,  early 
March,  and  not  altogether  as  spring-like  as 
May  Day  might  have  seemed,  so  that  many 
soon  sought  the  shelter  and  warmth  of  a  fire- 
side. Boys,  being  proverbially  unconscious 
of  cold,  were  still  in  the  street  in  immense 
numbers,  and  as  jubilant  as  ever.     It  was  not 

41 


42  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

long  before  Frank  and  Oscar  were  near  the  pi- 
azza where  Frank  waited  in  the  morning  for 
his  comrades.  The  other  boys  of  their  com- 
pany had  reached  the  spot  before  them,  and 
did  not  give  them  a  very  cordial  greeting, 
though  a  noisy  and  vociferous  one. 

"  There  comes  the  skulkers ! "  shouted  one. 

"  Before  I'd  back  out! "  said  another. 

"We  want  no  traitors  here!"  screamed  a 
thu'd,  and  the  Captain,  as  they  drew  nigh, 
doubled  up  his  fist,  and  shook  it  menaccingly 
in  Oscar's  face,  growling  through  his  clenched 
teeth,  "  You  lied  to  me,  eh !  you  rascal !  " 

"  Stop  that,  boys ! "  said  Oscar,  as  with  a 
bold  front  he  advanced,  while  Frank  hung 
back,  a  little  doubtful  as  to  the  result. 

"  Do  give  a  fellow  a  hearing,  will  ye  ?  " 

The  captain  made  a  sign  with  his  hand,  and 
called  out,  "  Attention,  company  !  " 

All  were  silent  on  the  instant. 

"  Out  with  it ! "  exclaimed  the  captain  to 
Oscar,  who  replied,  — 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  43 

**  Any  fellow  is  unreasonable  who  asks  why 
we  did'nt  get  back.  In  the  first  place  we 
were  detained  by  business,  and  then  I'd  like 
to  know  how  a  fellow  can  get  through  such  a 
crowd  as  we  got  into  !  And  after  we  had  lost 
you,  it  was  like  looking  for  a  needle  in  a  hay- 
stack to  find  you.  But  you  got  along  with- 
out us,  and  now  just  overlook  it  all,  and  go 
with  me  after  some  oysters.  I  stand  treat,  to- 
day.    I've  got  some  money." 

The  boys  were  softened.  All  of  them  were 
hungry.  Half  eaten  breakfasts,  and  long, 
weary  hours  spent  in  the  open  air,  were  excel- 
lent aids  to  a  good  appetite,  and  they  could 
not  resist  the  potency  of  the  spell  which  Oscar 
saw  fit  to  exercise  over  them.  Comparatively 
few  of  the  company  were  present,  so  that  the 
tax  on  his  purse  would  not  be  very  heavy. 
The  other  boys  had  bounded  off  towards  their 
homes,  impelled  by  the  desire  for  food  which 
had  "  gotten  possession  "  of  them. 


44  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

So  not  a  word  was  said  about  their  delin- 
quency, and  Oscar  started  to  find  a  restaurant, 
the  boys  following  singly  or  in  pairs.  They 
walked  rapidly  along  the  street,  and  tried  the 
first  which  came  in  sight,  with  its  windows 
full  of  cakes  and  pies,  and  large  gilded  letters 
heralding  the  fact,  that  "  Oysters,  Hot  Coffee, 
Ice  Cream,"  <fcc.,  were  sold  there.  But  that 
which  might  naturally  have  been  anticipated 
occurred.  Every  restaurant  was  full,  crowded, 
overflowing.  The  grand  events  of  the  day  had 
brought  a  vast  number  of  strangers  to  Wash- 
ington, and  the  hotel  and  restaurant  keepers 
were  reaping  a  golden  harvest.  One  after 
another  was  tried,  and  finding  every  where 
full  tables,  and  people  waiting  to  be  served,  or 
for  chairs  to  be  empty,  they  left  the  more  fash- 
ionable part  of  the  city,  and,  still  following 
Oscar,  went  to  restaurants  less  elegant  in 
style,  and  where  a  rougher  class  of  customers 
were  served.     At  last  they  found  a  cellar  in 


THE  RUNAWASr   BOY.  46 

which  was  such  an  eating  establishment,  and 
one  table  at  least  was  empty.  Gathering 
chairs  around  that  table  as  close  as  possible, 
though  rather  too  close  for  comfort,  the  boys 
managed  to  be  seated.  Oscar  called  for  the 
oystei's,  and  while  waiting  to  be  served,  they 
chatted  gaily  together.  The  scenes  of  the  in- 
auguration procession,  and  the  street  crowds 
were  the  prominent  themes.  All  agreed  that 
never  before  had  there  been  such  a  grand  dis- 
play of  military  and  civic  companies  as  on  this 
day. 

"  I  shall  remember  it  as  long  as  I  live,"  said 
Frank.  "And  I  heard  the  Inaugural  Ad- 
dress," added  he  to  the  boy  at  his  side  ;  "  did 
you?" 

"  No !  I  wish  I  had.  We  were  jammed  in 
with  the  crowd,  and  couldn't  get  near  enough." 

"How  did  the  new  President  look  ?  "  asked 
another  boy  of  Frank. 

"  Look  ?  He  looked  as  if  he  was  bom  a 
man  if  he  was'nt  born  a  king." 


46  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

"  Good  for  you,  Frank ! "  cried  Oscar, 
joining  in  the  conversation.  "I'd  like  to 
know  if  he  is'nt  a  king  now,  and  a  greater  one 
than  Louis  Napoleon,  or  any  other  in  Eu- 
rope ? " 

"  So  he  is,"  said  the  captain  *of  their  little 
band,  "  but  he  came  plaguey  nigh  not  getting 
into  the  White  House,  and  on  the  throne  of 
this  nation,  for  some  of  the  rabid  Southerners 
declared  he  never  should  be  inaugurated,  and 
it  is  said  a  plot  was  discovered,  or  at  least  sus- 
pected, to  assassinate  him  while  on  his  way  to 
Washington,  so  he  came  through  Baltimore,  in 
a  special  train,  disguised.  So  I  heard  this 
morning." 

"  Well,  it  may  be  so.  At  any  rate,  those 
rascally  Southerners  are  up  to  any  thing. 
They  treat  their  slaves  like  brutes,  and  that 
hardens  them  so  they  are  ready  to  treat  white 
people  just  so.     That's  what  my  father  says." 

The  speaker  of  these  words  was   Adelbert 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  47 

Brown,  whoso  father  had  seen  President  Lin- 
cohi  and  little  Willie. 

"  I  guess  your  father 's   an   Abolitionist,'* 
said  the  captam. 

"  No  more  than  the  President.  He  is  an 
out-an-out  Republican  ;  that's  what  he  is  ;  and 
he  says  slavery  will  come  to  an  end  sometime, 
but  he  fears  not  without  a  terrible, struggle." 

Just  then  Oscar  turned  to  look  for  the 
waiter  with  the  oysters,  and  his  eye  fell  on  a 
man  of  about  thirty  years  of  age,  dressed  in 
the  blue  jacket  and  wide  trousers  of  a  sailor. 
"  Hollo !  "  shouted  Oscar,  startling  those  in  his 
vicinity,  and  calling  the  attention  of  the  sailor, 
•'  if  there  is'nt '  True  Blue  ! '  " 

"  Ship  ahoy  !"  responded  the  tar,  as  he  rec- 
ognized Oscar,  "Heave  to,  and  send  a  boat 
aboard." 

"  No,  you  come  and  join  us  ;  we'll  make 
room  for  you  ;  "  and  Oscar  commenced  crowd- 
ing his  next  neighbor  fearfully. 


48      '  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

"  Avast,  there  !  "  sang  out  the  sailor.  "  I've 
most  finished  my  grub,  and  then  I'll  come 
and  stand  a  watch  near  you.  Don't  stow  too 
close  ;  I  don't  want  a  chair." 

So  the  boys  gave  their  attention  to  the 
smoking  hot  oysters  which  just  then  arrived, 
and  pretty  soon  the  sailor  came  and  stood  near 
Oscar's  chair.  Before  he  came,  Frank  had 
whispered  to  Oscar,  in  a  tone  loud  enough  to 
be  heard  by  the  other  boys,  but  not  by  the 
sailor, 

"  Who  is  he,  Oscar  ?  and  what  makes  you 
call  him  '  True  Blue  ! ' '' 

"  '  What's  in  a  name ! '  "  replied  Oscar, 
smiling  ;  "  '  A  rose  by  any  other  name  would 
smell  as  sweet ! '  " 

"  Let  Shakspeare  alone,  will  ye  ?  "  spoke 
out  the  captain,  with  a  frown.  "  Tell  us  who 
he  is  in  plain  prose.  I'll  like  any  man  that's 
worthy  to  be  called  '  True  Blue ! '  " 

"  Well,  he  is,  I  can  tell  you,"  said  Oscar. 


THE   RUNAWAY    BOY.  49 

"  He's  a  Marblehcad  skipper,  and  once  when 
a  saucy  Englishman  said  something  disrespect- 
ful of  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  this  man  —  liis 
name  is  Martin  —  asked  'em  if  he  remembered 
Revolutionary  times,  and  1812,  and  then  he 
licked  the  fellow  till  he  was  likely  to  remem- 
ber that  year,  too,  and  to  hold  his  tongue 
about  our  flag.  Then  his  ship-mates  called 
Martin  'True  Blue,'  and  the  name  has  be- 
longed to  him  ever  since." 

The  boys  were  delighted  with  this  account. 
Thoy  were  a  little  more  patriotic  than  usual, 
having  had  the  star-spangled  banner  before 
then-  eyes  during  most  of  the  day,  and  ha\dng 
heard  again  and  again,  as  they  gazed  upon  its 
beautiful  stripes  and  gleaming  stars,  the  music 
of  "  Hail  Coliunbia."  Besides,  boys  have  a 
natural  partiality  for  any  man  who  bravely 
meets  with  a  deserved  rebuff  any  foreigner  who 
dares  insult  America.  Very  early  the  cham- 
pion-spirit is  developed  in  a  boy ;  nor  is  it  al- 


50  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

ways  sheer  combativeness,  but  something  no- 
bler and  better.  The  same  spirit  affects  his 
literary  taste,  so  that  he  will  smile  at  his  sister 
for  liking  the  "namby-pamby  stories,"  as  he 
calls  them,  while  he  revels  in  thrilling  accounts 
of  wonderful  adventures,  valiant  conflicts  and 
hair-breadth  escapes. 

Thus  it  was  that  Skipper  Martin  met  a  warm 
reception  from  the  boys  when  he  came  over  to 
them.  Oscar  introduced  him  as  "  Skipper 
Martin  sometimes,  but  '  True  Blue '  always  ; " 
and  the  boys  responded  with  three  hearty 
cheers,  the  captain  leading  off. 

This  kind  of  conduct  in  an  ordinary  restau- 
rant, or  one  up-town,  elegant,  fashionable  and 
decorous,  would  have  resulted  in  the  speedy 
ejection  of  the  noisy  juveniles,  but  in  this  "  free 
and  easy  "  room,  as  the  owntr  called  it,  the 
uproarious  welcome  which  the  excited  boys 
gave  the  champion  of  their  country,  as  he 
seemed  to  them,  was  allowable,  and  awoke  on- 


TllE   RUNAWAY   DOY.  61 

\y  smiles  and  sympathy  from  the  other  men 
and  boys  sitting  around.  No  women  were 
present,  though  female  voices  were  heard  oc- 
casionally from  the  adjoining  apartment,  whero 
the  clattering  of  dishes  told  of  hot  water  and 
wiping-cloths. 

The  boys  got  calm  again  very  soon,  and  lis- 
tened with  intense  interest  to  "  True  Blue," 
while  he  narrated,  in  sailor  phrase,  some  inci- 
dents of  a  recent  voyage. 

"  How  came  you  here  to-day,"  asked  Oscar. 
"  It's  a  long  while  since  I  have  heard  from 
you.  The  last  time  I  saw  you  was  on  Boston 
wharf,  and  then  you  thought  you  should  go 
into  the  navy  or  merchant  service." 

"  When  did  you  first  meet  ?  "  asked  Frank, 
before  True  Blue  had  time  to  answer  Oscar's 
question.  r 

"  A  fathom  or  so  under  water,  we  met,"  re- 
sponded True  Blue,  looking  at  Frank.  "  I 
thought  Oscar's  folks  wouldn't  want  him  to  go 


62  THE    RUNAWAY  BOY. 

to  Davy  Jones*  locker  quite  so  soon,  so  I  over- 
hauled him  in  a  hurry." 

"  He  saved  my  life,"  said  Oscar,  "  when  I 
fell  ofif  the  end  of  Long  Wharf,  in  Boston," 
and  the  tone  and  look  of  the  boy  told  that 
there  was  real  gratitude  in  his  heart.  "  But 
how  came  you  here  to-day.  True  Blue  ? " 
again  asked  he. 

"  Of  course  I  came  to  see  the  elephant. 
D'ye  spose  I'd  be  as  near  as  Alexandria,  and 
not  steer  my  course  for  Washington,  when  the 
man  I  voted  for  was  going  to  stand  on  the 
quarter-deck  for  the  first  time  ?  What  d'ye 
think  of  a  sea-dog  like  me,  sailmg  up  and  down 
Marblehead  streets  with  a  torch-light  in  my 
hand  ?  I've  done  it,  and  I'd  do  it  again,  just 
to  hear  one  good  '  Hurrah  for  Lincoln  ! '  '* 

The  jolly  tar  suited  the  action  to  the  word, 
or  the  tone  to  the  sentiment,  for  he  swung  liis 
hat  aloft  and  shouted  loudly.  The  boys 
caught  his  enthusiasm,  and  at  a  signal  from 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  63 

the  captain,  they,  too,  slioutcd,  "  Ilurrah  for 
Liiicohi ! " 

The  keeper  of  the  restaurant  seemed  to  en- 
joy tlie  hilarity  and  patriotic  outburst  of  his 
juvenile  customers,  but  a  surly-looking  man, 
about  fifty  years  old,  said  to  another,  whose 
gray  hairs  ought  to  have  indicated  wisdom,  in 
a  tone  of  great  disapprobation,  "  What  a  noise 
those  young  up-starts  make!  See  what  our 
nation  is  coming  to !  We  shall  have  a  villam- 
ous  horde  of  Abolitionists  following  Lincoln  to 
this  city  now.'' 

The  older  man  answered,  with  a  provoking 
look  at  the  sailor,  and,  like  his  companion,  in 
a  tone  loud  enough  to  be  heard,  "  Wiat  better 
can  be  expected,  when  a  set  of  Yankee  mud- 
sills rule  the  nation.  Any  rail-splitter  can  be 
elected,  when  the  ballot-box  is  stuffed,  and  the 
ministers  preach  politics  instead  of  religion." 

"  Shiver  my  timbers!  "  shouted  True  Blue ; 
"  What's  that  your  saying  ?    I  call  it  treason, 


64  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

and  I'd  hang  traitors  as  high  as  Haman,  if  I 
had  my  way.  Any  man  that'll  talk  so,  ought 
to  be  put  on  board  a  leaky  ship,  with  a  short 
allowance  of  salt  junk  and  wormy  bread." 

"  Shut  up  your  mouth,"  exclaimed  the  sur- 
ly-looking man,  with  an  oath.  "  You  needn't 
think  you  Yankees  are  going  to  rule  all  crea- 
tion, though  you'd  like  to  do  so.  If  I  catch 
any  of  your  Abolitionists  after  my  slaves,  I'll 
make  him  stretch  hemp, — I  will  indeed ;  "  and 
he  finished  his  speech  with  another  fearful 
oath. 

"  If  you're  a  specimen  of  Southern  chivalry," 
answered  True  Blue,  while  the  boys  looked  on 
wondering  what  he  would  say,  "  Dang  it,  but 
I  must  say  I've  seen  better  fish  in  our  waters. 
But  I  shan't  quarrel  with  ye  to-day,  so  you 
needn't  try  to  come  athwart  my  hawser.  I 
must  say,  I'd  like  to  set  such  rebels  as  you  to 
holy-stoning  the  deck  in  a  gale  of  wind." 

The  nautical  language  of  the  sailor  was  a 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  65 

little  unintelligible  both  to  the  elder  and 
younger  portion  of  his  audience,  but  none 
could  mistake  his  tones,  or  the  general  tenor 
of  his  rcpl^^  "  You're  True  Blue  !  "  shouted 
Oscar,  and  rising,  he  proposed  three  cheers 
for  Lincoln  and  the  Union.  They  were  given 
with  a  hearty  good  will  by.  his  comrades.  True 
Blue  lending  the  deep  bass  of  his  hoarse  voice 
to  swell  the  volume  of  sound. 

The  surly  man  looked  as  if  he  would  have 
liked  to  reply,  but  dared  not,  and,  disgusted, 
he  and  his  companion  rose  and  went  away. 

The  boys  finished  their  oysters,  and  then 
proposed  a  stroll  around  the  city,  with  their 
new  friend,  but  True  Blue  said  he  must  go 
back  to  his  vessel,  as  she  was  to  sail  in  a  day  . 
or  two,  and  he  wished  to  oversee  the  taking  in 
of  some  cargo. 

"  I  wish  I  could  go  with  you,"  said  Oscar. 

«  So  do  I,"  said  Frank. 

"  Why  can't  you  ? "  asked  True  Blue,  who 


66  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

saw  that  Oscar  and  Frank  were  walking  along 
arm-in-arm,  and  supposed  them  to  be  relatives 
or  fast  friends. 

"  Here !  I'll  make  you  an  offer.  You  get 
your  folks  to  let  you  see  old  Marblehead,  and 
I'll  take  you  there  in  my  schooner,  and  give 
you  grub  and  a  berth  for  nothing.  I  don't 
know  as  I  can  bring  you  back,  for  the  owners 
talk  of  selling  my  snug  little  craft,  and  I  am 
hoping  to  get  a  better  berth  m  tlie  navy,  with 
Uncle  Sam  for  paymaster." 

"  There 's  your  chance !  "  exclaimed  Oscar 
to  Frank,  and  then  said  aloud,  "  I  can't  go 
this  time,  for  my  father  has  something  for  me 
to  do,  but  Thomas  wants  to,  I  know." 

Frank  opened  his  eyes  wide,  but  Oscar  only 
signed  to  him  to  keep  silent.  Then  he  con- 
tinued, "  My  friend  here,  Thomas  Evans,  has 
long  wished  to  see  the  North,  and  now  if  he 
can  get  a  chance  to  go,  I  thmk  he  will  gladly 
accept  it,  and  I  shall  regard  your  taking  him 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  57 

as  a  f\ivor  done  to  mc.  You  can  run  homo 
and  ask  your  mother,  Thomas,  and  I'll  plan  it 
with  True  Blue.  You  liavn't  got  much  time 
to  get  ready  in." 

So  saying,  Oscar  drew  away  from  Frank, 
and  understanding  but  too  well  what  it  all 
meant,  bade  True  Blue  and  the  boys  behind 
them  good  evening,  and  went  towards  his  home. 

His  mother  met  him  in  the  hall.  "  Have 
you  enjoyed  the  day,  my  son  ?  " 

He  looked  up  at  her  pleasant  face,  and  the 
anxious  expression  which  had  gathered  on  his 
own  as  he  walked  along  towards  his  home, 
passed  away,  as  he  smilingly  answered, 

"  Capital,  mother.  I  saw  the  new  Presi- 
dent, and  even  heard  his  address." 

"  I  wish  I  had  heard  it,"  said  his  sister  com- 
ing out  of  the  parlor,  "  but  come  in,  Frank, 
and  hear  me  sing  this  new  song.  I  have 
learned  it  at  last." 

Frank  placed  his  cap  on  the  hat-tree,  and 


68  THE  Er/NAWAY  BOY. 

followed  liis  gentle  and  loving  sister  into  the 
parlor.  His  heart  was  full,  and  he  was  glad 
she  only  wanted  him  to  listen  to  music,  and 
not  to  join  in  conversation.  He  felt  as  if  the 
crisis  of  his  destiny  was  approaching,  and  he 
must  soon  decide  whether  he  must  remain 
where  his  duties  were  irksome,  and  he  was  a 
burden  to  others,  or  go  away  and  work  for 
himself.  He  was  clearly  in  the  wrong,  but  he 
did  not  so  understand  the  case.  His  mother 
never  felt  him  to  be  a  burden,  and  his  duties 
were  indeed  comparatively  light.  His  contem- 
plated grapple  with  life's  labors  among  strang- 
ers, would  soon  show  him  that.  But  the  hour 
for  his  departure  seemed  to  him  to  be  drawing 
nigh,  and  as  soon  as  he  could,  he  went  up  to 
his  room,  and  prepared  his  valise  for  depart- 
ure. He  hardly  knew  what  to  pack,  or  how 
he  should  proceed,  but  he  thought  Oscar  and 
True  Blue  would  help  him  in  any  extremity. 
He  had  a  little  money,  which,  at  Oscar's  sug- 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  69 

gestion,  he  had  saved  for  the  time  of  running 
away,  and  he  hoped  to  find  employment  before 
it  was  spent.  But,  after  all,  his  heart  misgave 
him.  Again  and  again  the  idea  came  that  he 
was  not  about  to  treat  his  mother  or  sister  as 
he  would  have  them  do  to  him.  He  felt  that 
he  was  cowardly  in  running  away,  and  yet  he 
was  afraid  to  be  called  a  coward  by  Oscar, 
when  here  was  as  good  a  chance  as  he  could 
ever  have.  So  he  resolved  to  go,  and  by  the 
time  he  went  down  to  tea,  he  had  persuaded 
himself  that  he  was  right,  and  that  his  mother 
and  sister  would  think  so  when  he  came  home 
with  a  fortune  earned  by  his  own  industry. 
He  forgot  that  a  boy  who  will  not  work  with- 
out finding  fault  with  the  necessity  for  effort, 
at  home,  will  not  be  likely  to  find  labor  very 
easy  abroad. 

While  the  family  were  at  tea,  the  door  bell 
rang,  and  Frank  was  called.  His  heart  throb- 
bed quickly,  and  had  his  mother's  eye  been 


60  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

upon  him,  she  must  have  seen  that  something 
was  wrong  with  her  precious,  though  sometimes 
wayward  boy.  But  she  was  busy  in  attending 
to  her  boarders,  and  so  was  sister  Mary ;  and 
Frank  got  out  of  the  room  unnoticed. 

He  found  Oscar  in  the  parlor  waiting  for 
him.     "  Are  you  ready  ?  "  was  the  question. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  faltering  response. 

"  Then  come  along,  right  away.  You  be  a 
man,  Frank  ;  get  your  traps  and  come  with 
me." 

Frank  felt  like  anything  but  a  man,  acting 
a  manly  and  high-minded  part,  when  he  came 
down  with  his  valise  in  his  hand,  and  his  over- 
coat on  his  arm.  But  there  was  no  time  to 
parley.  Delay  might  ensure  discovery  and 
defeat.  A  moment  more,  and  the  door  of  his 
mother's  home  closed  behind  him,  and  shut 
him  out  into  the  cold,  wide  world. 


CHAPTER  lY. 


OUT  ON  THE  OCEAN, 

RAXK  and  Oscar  walked  rapidly 
away  from  the  home  which 
Frank's  departure  was  to  make 
so  desolate.  Now  that  he  had 
decided,  and  taken  the  first 
step,  Frank's  mind  was  more 
quiet,  as  after  a  mental  stnig- 
gle,  any  decision,  right  or  wrong,  will  bring  a 
relief,  wliich  will  be  temporary  or  permanent, 
according  to  the  character  of  the  decision.  But 
he  was  not  without  misgivings,  only  he  was 
determined  to  proceed  and  overcome  all  ob- 
stacles.    Young  as  he  was,  he  possessed  great 


62  TUE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

energy  of  character,  and  was,  after  all,  pretty 
well  calculated  to  work  his  way  through  the 
world. 

"  Where  am  I  to  find  True  Blue  ?  "  asked 
Frank. 

"  He  is  not  far  from  here,  in  a  store,  buying 
some  little  knick-knacks  as  mementos  of  his 
visit  to  our  city.  Have  you  left  a  note,  as  I 
suggested  ? " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Frank. 

"  What  did  you  write  ?  " 

"  Only  that  I  thought  I  could  earn  money 
where  I  was  going,  and  would  bring  them 
some  when  I  came  back,  and  that  they  need 
not  look  for  me,  for  I  would  write  to  them." 

"  They'll  be  after  you  if  they  know  where 
you  are." 

"  Yes,  I  know  it,  and  of  course  they  '11  find 
out." 

"  Why,  you  simpleton,  you  needn't  mail 
your  letters  in  the  place  where  you  are.    You 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  G3 

must  not  write  very  often,  and  you  must  never 
forget  that  your  name  is  Thomas  Evans." 

It  was  wonderful  what  a  power  Oscar  had 
over  Frank.  He  had  but  to  say  "  do  this," 
and  he-  did  it,  or  so  at  least  it  seemed.  Yet 
he  could  never  have  induced  Frank  to  leave 
his  comfortable  home,  and  kind  mother,  if 
there  had  not  been  in  Frank's  heart  an  un- 
swerving desire  to  be  free  from  restaint,  and  to 
dwell  amid  new  scenes  and  acquaintances. 
He  was  sorry,  a  little  sorry,  to  grieve  his  moth- 
er and  sister,  but  not  at  all  penitent.  Ho 
vainly  fancied  that  the  world  would  receive 
and  shelter  him,  not  knowing  that  he  was  like 
Adam,  when  the  angel  with  the  flaming  sword 
barred  behind  him  the  gates  of  Paradise.  He 
was  yet  to  learn  the  meaning  of  the  solemn  as- 
surance, "  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou 
eat  bread."  And  ere  his  proud  heart  should 
De  humbled,  he  was  yet  to  look  back  to  his 
mother's  house  with  deep  and  bitter  longing. 
But  we  will  not  anticipate. 


G4  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

In  due  time,  Frank  was  on  board  "  the 
Flying  Fish,  Martin,  of  and  for  Marblehead," 
as  the  papers  succinctly  reported  the  vessel. 
Oscar  was  with  him,  but  he  tarried  only  a  little 
while,  and  soon  the  time  arrived  when  the. 
vessel  should  depart.  Thomas,  for  so  we  may 
now  sometimes  call  him,  that  being  the  only 
name  by  which  he  was  known  on  board,  had 
not  particularly  enjoyed  his  close  berth,  and 
the  stifled  air  of  the  cabin  where  he  had  slept, 
for  Captain  Martin  had  assigned  to  him  a  berth 
in  the  state  room  next  to  his  own,  but,  boy- 
like, he  took  a  pride  in  appearing  indiflferent 
to  inconveniences  on  board  ship,  which  at  his 
own  home  would  have  made  him  querulous 
and  impatient.  His  food  was  not  exactly  what 
he  was  accustomed  to  eat  at  his  mother's  ta- 
ble. None  of  her  delicate  custards  and  nice 
puddings  and  pies,  but  simpler  fare,  and  served 
with  little  regard  to  elegance  and  custom. 
But  he  was  on  the  way  to  freedom  and  indo- 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  65 

pendent,  probably  lucrative,  labor  in  a  new 
home,  and  he  would  not  let  trifles  disturb  his 
pleasure  at  the  thought. 

The  hour  came.     The  anchor  was  weighed, 
with  the  long-drawn  music  of   "Yo!   heave- 
ho!"     The  sails  were  hoisted  one  by  one,  and 
with  a  propitious  breeze  the  vessel  soon  made 
good  headway  out  of  the  harbor.     Very  soon 
Tliomas  began  to  feel  uncomfortable,  more  un- 
comfortable than  he  had  ever  felt  before  in  his 
life,  he  thought.     His  head  ached,  and  there 
was  a  distressing  feeling  of  nausea.     An  inde- 
scribable sense  of  utter  misery  and  forlornness 
came  over  him.    He   grew  sicker  and  sicker. 
He  was  dizzy  and  faint.     And  soon  came  the 
climax,  and  with  a  sensation  of  complete  aban- 
donment of  all  interest  in  any  thing  else,  and 
a  despair  of  ever  feeling  better,  and  a  sickness 
that  was  complete,  making  "  the  whole  head 
sick  and  the  whole  heart  famt,"  he  leaned  over 
the  side  of  the  vessel,  and,  as  the  sailors  ex- 


66  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

pressed  it,  "threw  up  Jonah."  Then  he 
wished  himself  among  the  wild  hills  of  Ameri- 
ca's Switzerland,  among  the  relatives  of  his 
New  Hampshire  horn  parents,  than  on  the  blue 
and  tossing  deep. 

"  True  Blue  "  had  been  so  busy  that  he  had 
not  before  noticed  the  increased  paleness  and 
languid  motions  of  the  boy;  but  when  he 
heard  the  ominous  sound  that  indicated  the 
convulsive  motions  of  the  sea-sick  stomach,  he 
approached  the  youth,  and  with  his  rough 
speech,  yet  with  real  kindness  of  manner,  and 
genuine  good  will,  he  exclaimed,  "  Ho !  you 
land-lubber  !  Couldn't  help  paying  tribute  to 
old  Neptune,  could  you  ?  Never  mind,  you'll 
be  better  when  you  get  the  cargo  all  started 
from  the  hold.  Here,  my  lad !  let  me  help 
you  to  go  down  below  to  your  berth.  Lean 
on  me,  till  you  get  to  the  companion-way." 

Thomas  gladly  accepted  his  kind  offer,  and 
was  never  more  rejoiced  to  lay  his  head  upon 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  67 

his  j)illow.  Ho  was  sick  for  some  hours,  and 
then  slept  calmly  and  sweetly  on  tlie  bosom  of 
the  ever-restless  ocean.  When  he  again  came 
on  deck,  the  land  was  far  behind  them,  and 
'the  mighty  deep  stretched  on  before  their 
little  barque,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  till 
tlie  blue  waves  in  the  dim  distance  met  and 
blended  with  the  azure  of  the  sky.  Here  and 
there  its  broad  bosom  was  flecked  with  the 
snowy  sails  of  vessels,  it  might  be  from  far 
different  portions  of  the  globe,  and  over  all 
this  wide  expanse,  which  was  an  image  of 
eternity,  and  these  scattered  vessels  the 
emblems  of  human  souls,  there  was  spread  the 
broad,  bright  canopy  of  sky,  a  symbol  of  God's 
impartial  love  and  care.  The  young  runaway 
felt  the  beauty  —  the  grandeur  of  the  scene. 
Involuntarily  his  heart  said,  "  I  wish  that 
mother  and  Mary  were  here,"  for  he  knew 
how  much  they  would  enjoy  such  a  prospect. 
He  had  heard  them  speak  with  admiration  of 


68  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  ^ 

ocean  scenery,  and  he  could  not  but  wish  that 
they  stood  on  that  deck  with  him. 

"  What  ye  thinking  of,  my  hearty  ?  "  asked 
"  True  Blue." 

"  Of  my  mother  and  sister,"  was  the  honest 
response. 

"  D'ye  wish  yourself  back  in  your  mother's 
parlor,  safely  moored  to  the  sofa  or  rocking 
chair  ?  " 

"  Oh  no ! ' 

But  this  time  the  answer  was  not  quite  so 
honest,  for,  though  there  was  no  wavering  of 
his  determination  to  see  the  world,  there  was 
in  his  heart  a  wish  to  step  in  home,  and  see 
how  they  all  bore  his  absence. 

"  I  suppose  your  mother  didn't  want  you  to 
get  oflf  soundings .  Mothers  never  do .  They ' re 
always  afraid  of  drowning  or  something,  but 
that's  all  right  in  mothers.  It  comes  of  their 
tender  love.  I  suppose  your  father  was  will- 
ing or  you  wouldn't  have  come  here." 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  69 

Now  for  an  evasion ;  so  Frank,  —  alias 
Thomas  —  answered,  "  My  father  is  dead,  sir," 
and  turned  away,  as  if  he  did  not  care  to  say 
any  more.  True  Blue,  with  a  respectful  senti- 
ment (never  wanting  in  the  sailor  so  proverbi- 
ally noble  and  generous)  of  regard  for  the 
feelings  of  the  bereaved,  said  no  more.  Thus 
the  secret  which  the  Runaway  was  to  carry 
with  him  so  long,  remained  undiscovered. 

About  an  hour  afterward,  as  Frank  sat  on 
the  deck,  or  rather  reclined  near  a  large  coil 
of  rope,  the  Skipper  again  entered  into  conver- 
sation with  him.  The  lad  had  been  thinking 
sadly  of  his  home,  and  regretting  the  pain  his 
departure  had  caused,  yet  not  so  repenting  as 
to  wish  to  return  thither.  He  was  now  glad 
of  an  opportunity  to  talk,  and  thus  change  the 
current  of  his  thoughts.  And  if  he  commenced 
the  conversation  liimself,  he  fancied  he  could 
steer  clear  of  rocks  and  quicksands,  and  not 
permit  True  Blue  to  discover  that  he  was  hai- 


70  THE   RUNAWAY  BOY. 

boring  a  deserter.  So  he  asked  Captain  Mar- 
tin, "  Wliat  kind  of  papers  do  you  keep  in  that 
flat  tin  box  I  saw  you  open  this  morning  in 
the  cabin?  They  looked  like  legal  docu- 
ments." 

"What  does  a  boy  like  you  know  about 
'  legal  documents,'  let  me  ask,  first  ?  " 

"  We  had  a  lawyer  once  board  at  our  house, 
and  I  saw  a  great  many  of  his  papers,  and  he 
used  to  tell  me  they  were  '  legal  documents.' 
Yours  to-day,  being  partly  prmted  and  partly 
written,  reminded  me  of  them." 

"You  are  an  observing  chap.  You  keep 
your  eyes  open,  and  you'll  learn,  in  school,  or 
out,  especially  out.  That  tin  box  holds  my 
vessel's  papers." 

"  Your  protection  ?  " 

"Yes,  if  you  choose  to  call  it  so,  or  my 
license.  Here !  I  have  one  in  my  pocket-book. 
It  is  a  copy,  and  I  keep  it  in  memory  of  the 
first  time  I  ever  went  skipper.    I  always  used 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  71 

to  sail  with  my  father,  and  was  the  old  man's 
mate  till  I  got  this  other  craft.  I  might  have 
been  a  skipper  sooner,  but  I  thought  father 
needed  me,  and  so  I  stayed  with  him,  till  God 
bade  him  cast  anchor  in  the  broad  bay  of 
heaven." 

True  Blue  paused,  and  looked  reverently 
upward.  Then  his  great,  noble  heart  found 
utterance.  "  I  tell  ye,  my  lad,  you'll  never 
regret  doing  all  you  can  for  your  father,  or,  I 
should  say,  for  your  mother." 

How  Frank's  heart  smote  him ! 

True  Blue  continued,  as  he  drew  a  worn 
paper  from  his  pocket-book,  "  Let  me  read  it 
to  you,  young  man.  I've  read  it  so  many 
times  I  almost  know  it  by  heart.  It  is  duly 
signed  and  countersigned  by  the  Collector  and 
Surveyor  of  the  Port. 

Lifting  the  paper  nearer  to  his  eyes,  Captain 
Martin  read. 


72  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

"  District  of  Marblehead. 
In  pursuance  of  an  act  of  Congress  entitled, 
*  An  Act  for  enrolling  and  licensing  ships  or 
vessels  to  be  employed  in  the  coasting  trade 
and  fisheries,  and  for  regulating  the  same, 
Joseph  Orne  and  Adoniram  Martin,  fishermen 
of  Marblehead,  in  the  state  of  Massachusetts, 
having  given  bond  that  the  sloop  called  the 
Columbia,  whereof,  the  said  Martin  is  Master, 
—  burden  16  92-95  tons,  as  appears  by  the  cer- 
tificate of  admeasurement,  dated  at  Marble- 
head, the  22nd  day  of  May,  1856,  by  which 
certificate  it  appears  that  her  length  is  32  feet 
and  7  inches  ;  breadth,  12  feet  and  5  inches  ; 
depth,  5  feet  and  2  inches ;  square  stern  and 
billet  heads,  —  shall  not  be  employed  in  any 
trade,  while  this  license  shall  continue  in 
force  whereby  the  revenue  of  the  United 
States  shall  be  defrauded,  and  having  also 
sworn  that  this  license  shall  not  be  used  for 
any  other  vessel,  or  for  any  other  employment 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  73 

than  is  herein  specified,  license  is  hereby 
granted  for  the  said  sloop,  called  the  Columbia 
of  Marblehead,  to  be  employed  in  carrying  on 
the  cod-fishery  for  one  year  from  the  date 
hereof,  and  no  longer.  —  May  7, 1858." 

"  Tliere,"  said  he,  as  he  laid  down  the  paper, 
"  that  is  the  style  of  the  papers  below,  about 
which  you  inquired." 

"  Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  have  asked,"  said 
Frank,  timidly,  "  but  I  thought  they  related  to 
the  vessel,  and  I  like  to  learn." 

"  That's  right,  my  boy !  Hold  on  to  that 
idea,  as  a  lobster  holds  on  to  a  line,  when  he 
gets  it  in  his  claw.  It  may  bring  you  to  the 
top-wave,  sometime."  - 

Frank  had  now  arisen  and  was  looking  at 
the  compass  which  was  in  the  binnacle,  or  box 
in  which  the  compass  is  usually  kept  on  board 
a  vessel,  and  which  is  arranged  so  that  a  lamp 
near  it,  can  be  lighted  at  night,  that  the  helms- 
man may  know  how  to  steer. 


m-'  ^ 


74  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

''  Can  you  tell  the  points  of  compass,  my 
lad  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  think  I  can." 

"  Try  it !     Nothe,  nothe  be  east  —  " 

Frank  took  up  the  list,  where  True  Blue 
stopped  —  "Nor'  —  nor'  east,  north  east  by 
north,  north  east,  north  east  by  east,  east, 
north  east,  east  by  north,  east  — ," 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  see,  you'd  make  a  jolly  sailor 
boy.     Why  not  go  with  me  in  the  Navy  ?  " 

"  My  mother  might  not  like  to  have  me  go 
so  far." 

That  answer  came  almost  spontaneously; 
yes,  it  did  come  without  thought ;  the  natural 
utterance  of  the  boy's  heart,  which  said  to  him, 
as  soon  as  he  spoke,  what,  in  an  undertone  of 
sorrow,  it  had  been  all  the  while  saying,  "  She 
does  not  like  to  have  you  go  so  far  as  you  are 
going  now." 

-'But  there  seemed  no  help  for  it  then.    He 
was  out  on  the  boundless  deep.    The  wind 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  75 

wliicli  filbd  the  -wide,  white  sails  stretched 
above  him,  wafted  him  each  hour  farther  from 
his  home.  He  must  tread  the  path  he  had 
chosen,  and  tread  it  without  the  remembrance 
of  a  mother's  sanction.  He  thrust  the  thought! 
from  his  mind,  and  asking  for  a  spyglass,  be- 
gan to  gaze  at  the  vessels  within  sight.  The 
sea-sickness,  which  was  so  horrible,  had  passed 
away,  though  it  had  left  him  with  the  languor 
of  weakness,  and  the  dread  of  its  return.  He 
could  not  yet  feel  accustomed  to  the  motion  of 
the  vessel,  and  when  she  lurched,  he  usually 
lurched  too.  As  "  True  Blue,"  often  said,  he 
"  hadn't  his  sea-legs  on." 

The  hours  of  that  day  rapidly  passed,  though 
somewhat  more  slowly  to  Frank  than  when  on 
land  with  so  many  more  objects  of  interest 
around,  all  askmg  for  the  attention  due. 

And  now  that  he  was  not  sea-sick,  Frank 
was  never  weary  of  watching  the  changeful 
face  of 

«  The  boundlefis  sea,  that  wasUeth  many  lands.** 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  VOYAGE. 

•HE  weather,  during  a  part  of 
the  time  that  Frank  was  on  his 
way  to  Marblchcad,  was  far 
from  being  such  as  to  make 
him  fancy  a  sea  life.  As  they 
drew  toward  the  coast  of  New 
England,  they  found  the  month 
which  had  been  comparatively  balmy  and 
spring-like  at  the  South,  to  be  farther  North, 
only  "  Stormy  March," 

"  With  wind  and  cloud  and  changing  skies." 

Frank  found  his  overcoat  comfortable  when- 
ever he  was  on  deck,  and  was  not  sorry  to  sit 
76 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  77 

rfear  the  stove,  when  in  the  cabin.  One  morn- 
ing, as  they  drew  near  Boston  harbor,  where 
Captain  Martin  desired  to  stop  and  leave  a 
portion  of  his  cargo,  Frank  went  on  deck,  and 
found  tlie  soft  feathery  snow-flakes  rapidly  fall- 
ing. They  rested,  without  melting,  on  the 
deck,  which  was  already  white  with  its  wintry 
covering,  but  the  ocean,  though  gray  with  the 
reflection  of  the  storm-clouds,  bore  no  trace  of 
their  presence.  Silently  tliey  fell  upon  its 
mighty  bosom,  and  as  silently  melted  away, 
like  words,  spoken  by  the  lips,  which  leave  no 
trace  upon  the  atmosphere,  but  if  written 
might  prove  more  enduring  than  monumental 
marble.  Frank  walked  to  the  side  of  the 
vessel,  and  looked  over.  The  snow  was  falling 
fast,  but  there  was  little  wind,  and  the  flakes 
fell  almost  perpendicularly. 

True  Blue  stepped  to  Frank's  side.  "  We 
have  a  cold  welcome  to  Boston  harbor,  my 
boy  1 " 


78  THE   RUNAWAY  BOY. 

"Yes,  sir,  and  I'm  sorry  for  it.  I  Md 
hoped  to  see  the  city  of  which  I  have  read  so 
often,  and  discern  for  myself,  at  first  sight,  as 
I  thought  I  should,  the  State  House  with  its 
lofty  dome,  and  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  too, 
not  far  away." 

"  Well,  it  may  clear  so  that  you  will  see 
them  yet,  as  we  pass  along  among  the  islands. 
But  what  are  you  looking  so  intently  at  that 
snow  for  ?  Doesn't  it  burn  your  Southern 
fingers,  to  hold  it  so  long  in  your  hand  ?  " 

Frank  smiled  at  the  idea,  and  then  replied, 
"  I  was  thinking,  sir,  of  what  our  teacher  told 
us  about  the  forms  of  snow,  how  each  flake 
is  in  exact  geometrical  form,  and  many  of 
those  forms  very  beautiful." 

True  Blue  took  up  some  snow  and  looked 
at  it,  then  threw  it  away,  and  caught  some 
flakes  on  his  hand  and  looked  at  them.  "  I 
never  thought  of  that  before,"  said  he,  "  they 
are  very  regularly  shaped  and  beautiful,  too. 


THE -RUNAWAY  BOY.  79 

And  would  you  like  to  see  some  of  the  red 
snow  Captain  Perry  saw  in  the  Ai'ctic  re- 
gions ? " 

"Very  much,"  said  Frank,  and  he  looked 
up  with  an  expression  of  deep  interest,  "  but 
what  made  it  red  ?  " 

"  Oh,  it  was  said  there  were  minute  marine 
animals  in  it;  that  was  all." 

"  Oh !  "  exclaimed  Frank,  "  that's  it !  " 

Just  then  Frank  conceived  the  idea  of 
mounting  the  taffrail,  as  he  had  often  done 
before,  that  he  might  have  a  more  extended 
view.  At  this  time,  however,  he  really  had 
no  particular  design  in  doing  so.  It  was  just 
one  of  those  "  boy-capers,"  aimless  and  fruit- 
less, which  every  parent  and  teacher  has 
noticed,  and  in  which  every  live  boy  has  to 
share.  True  Blue  did  not  notice  what  he  was 
doing  at  first,  then,  as  he  observed  his  motions, 
he  exclaimed  quickly  —  and  with  a  gesture  at 
once    imperative    and    deprecating,    "  Stop ! 


80  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

Thomas,  you're  iii  danger.  That's  too  slip- 
pery !  " 

But  he  was  too  late.  The  thoughtless, 
though  not  reckless  youth,  ignorant  of  his 
danger,  and  not  dreaming  that  the  snow  had 
made  the  wood  so  slippery,  had  climbed  too 
far,  and  in  a  moment  slid  over  the  side  of 
the  vessel  and  sank  far  beneath  the  dark 
waters.  Quick  as  thought  True  Blue  gave 
the  alarm,  "ringing  out,"  —  as  sailors  say  — 
in  loud,  clear  tones,  "  Man  overboard !  " 

Every  man  of  his  little  crew  was  on  the 
alert  in  an  instant.  True  Blue,  knowing 
himself  to  be  an  experienced  swimmer,  fear- 
lessly boimded  over  the  side. 

The  mate  hurriedly  gave  orders  to  "  tack 
ship,"  and  then  with  a  sense  of  terrible  respon- 
sibility and  suspense,  awaited  the  result. 
Although  it  was  day,  the  fast-falling  snow  pre- 
vented those  on  board  the  vessel,  from  seeing 
plainly  the  positions  of  those  in  the  water.    A 


S^Si  ^-,-   .~iSg< 


?^X. 


Quick  as  thought  Tim-   Uliic  irave  the  ahum,  iiii<;ing  out, 
ill  loud,  clear  toucs.  "  Man  ov(Mln»ar<l  I"     Pai^e  8U. 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  81 

glimpse  of  the  Captain,  was  seen  just  as  the 
boat  was  lowered  alongside. 

"  Save  the  Captain,  at  any  rate !  "  shouted 
the  mate.  "  He  swims  like  a  duck,  but  he 
might  get  benumbed  in  such  weather." 

The  men  sprang  into  the  boat,  and  "  pulled 
with  a  will "  after  their  beloved  Captain.  His 
warm  and  noble  heart,  his  genial  manners,  and 
ever  prompt  care  for  their  comfort,  always 
endeared  him  to  the  hearts  of  his  crew,  and 
though  they  all  liked  Frank's  simple,  unaffect- 
ed good  sense,  and  apparent  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge, and  gentlemanly  ways,  and  would  not 
have  had  him  drowned,  yet  they  were  most  of 
all  anxious  to  save  their  Captain. 

"  I  see  them,"  said  the  steersman,  "  Pull 
away,  boys.  Skipper  Martin  forever!  Pull 
away ! " 

The  sailors  needed  no  urging.  They  bent 
their  backs  sturdily,  and  used  to  good  purpose 
the  sinewy  muscles  of  their  strong  arms.     Not 


82  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

one  of  them  had  a  hat  on  his  head,  save  the 
steersman.  He  happened  to  be  on  deck  when 
the  catastrophe  occurred,  the  others  were 
below,  and  "  tumbled  up  "  from  the  forecastle 
without  a  pause  for  anything  when  they  heard 
the  startling  cry,  "  A  man  overboard  !  *'  which 
burst  from  the  Captain's  lips,  and  was  re- 
echoed by  all  who  heard  it. 

"  He's  got  him !  We're  gaining  on'em ! 
Now,  boys,  a  long  pull,  a  strong  pull,  and  a 
pull  altogether !  "  said  the  steersman,  again 
cheering  his  men. 

In  a  moment  more  the  boat  shot  alongside 
of  the  rescuer  and  rescued,  the  man  and  the 
boy,  and  both  were  speedily  transferred  to  the 
boat,  and  with  glad  hearts  the  men  rowed  back 
to  the  vessel,  which  it  was  not  easy  to  find  be- 
cause of  the  snow,  and  which  they  might  have 
had  more  difficulty  in  finding,  if  the  mate  had 
not  blown  a  horn  from  time  to  time. 

Frank  was  taken  on  board  apparently  sense- 


TUE   RUNAWAY  BOY.  83 

less,  but  not  lifeless,  and  "  all  hands  and  the 
cook"  were  at  once  busy  in  restoring  con- 
sciousness. The  cook  provided  hot  water  and 
hot  cloths,  and  the  sailors,  under  the  Captain's 
directions,  rubbed  the  benumbed  body  of  the 
half-drowned  boy  as  tenderly  as  his  own 
mother  would  have  done,  and,  to  their  great 
joy,  with  final  success. 

"  You  saved  me  !  "  were  Frank's  first  words, 
looking  at  True  Blue.  "  Yes,"  answered  the 
skipper  with  his  own  noble  simplicity  and 
directness. 

Frank  closed  his  eyes.  He  was  too  much 
exhausted  to  talk  much,  and,  besides,  his 
mind,  as  might  be  expected,  was  a  little  con- 
fused. He  afterwards  described  his  sensa- 
tions ;  said  he  heard  True  Blue's  warning 
voice,  but  too  late  for  it  to  be  of  any  service. 
He  felt  the  blow  as  he  touched  the  mass  of 
waters,  and  then  the  peculiar  sensation  which 
belongs  to  utter  submersion.     Eyes  and  nose, 


84  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

ears  and  mouth  seemed  to  be  filled  with  the 
salt  and  bitter  sea,  and  involuntarily  he  swal- 
lowed the  nauseous  compound  again  and 
again.  He  felt  himself  sinking,  sinking, 
sinking.  He  thought  of  his  mother,  and  in 
the  brief  time  before  consciousness  departed, 
he  reviewed  the  past,  and  was  not  a  little 
depressed  by  the  retrospect.  He  then  most 
heartily  wished  he  had  never  run  away  from 
his  kind  mother,  loving  sister,  and  pleasant 
home.     A  moment  more  and  all  was  blank. 

Three  times  he  rose  to  the  surface  the 
Captain  thought,  and  was  just  sinking  for  the 
last  time,  when,  with  a  desperate  effort,  the 
skipper  reached  him,  grasped  him  by  the  hair, 
and  held  him  fast,  lifting  his  head,  as  far  as 
possible,  above  water. 

It  was  a  narrow  escape  for  both.  The  snow 
rendered  it  almost  certain  that  they  could  not 
be  found  till  one  or  both  should  be  exhausted. 
But  a  favoring  Providence  had  restored  both. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  85 

and  the  skipper  felt  truly  grateful  to  God, 
while  Frank  was  equally  grateful  to  True 
Blue.  This  circumstance  served  to  knit  their 
hearts  very  closely  together,  and  never,  in 
after  life,  did  Frank  cease  to  recal  with  love 
and  gratitude,  the  man,  who,  to  save  a  stranger 
boy,  perilled  his  own  life. 

After  Frank's  recovery  he  thanked  True  Blue 
in  very  earnest  and  fitting  words.  "  I  do  not 
wonder,"  added  he,  "  that  Oscar  thinks  so 
much  of  you.  I  can  understand  it  all  now. 
You  have  saved  both  our  lives,  and  we  shall 
never  forget  it.'* 

"  ^Y\\Sit  sort  of  a  boy  is  Oscar  ? "  asked  True 
Blue,  who  seemed  to  be  glad  to  turn  the  sub- 
ject, not  liking  to  hear  his  own  praises. 

"  Well,  he's  a  pretty  good  sort  of  a  boy  gen- 
erally, sometimes  —  "  answered  Frank  a  little 
confused,  for  he  could  not  but  call  to  miiid 
many  of  Oscar's  deeds  which  were  not  credita- 
ble to  his  head  or  his  heart,  and  he   felt, 


86  THE   RUNAWAY  BOY. 

especially,  that  his  influence  over  him  had 
been  mainly  evil. 

"  Is  he  a  conscientious,  upright  boy  ?  "  asked 
the  Skipper  with  his  calm,  searching  eyes  fixed 
on  Frank's  face. 

"  He  does  as  well  as  he  thinks  boys  need  to 
do." 

"  And  because  he  is  a  boy,  he  thinks  he  can 
be  excused  if  he  don't  do  everything  ship- 
shape ? " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  Frank. 

"  Well,  I  think  otherwise.  A  man  should 
keep  his  soul  as  white  as  a  pure-minded 
woman  will  keep  hers.  And  boys  have  no 
more  right  to  do  wrong  than  men.  Those 
that  sow  wild  oats  get  a  crop  of  misery.  A 
boy  ought  to  be  like  a  ship.  He  should  be 
freighted  with  good  principles,  and  with  Jesus 
for  a  helmsman  and  pilot,  and  the  Bible  for  a 
chart,  he'll  steer  straight  into  the  port  of 
glory." 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  8? 

Frank  assented,  and  pondered  on  the  words. 
Meanwhile  the  storm  abated ;  at  least  the  snow 
ceased,  and  Frank  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
Boston  harbor  with  its  many  islands,  its  multi- 
tudinous fleet  of  passing  vessels,  and  its  dome- 
crowned  State  House  adorning  the  summit  of 
the  highest  land  in  the  Tri-mountain  city,  and 
a  fit  emblem  of  the  intellectual  and  social 
superiority  claimed  for  Bostonia  as  "  the  hub 
of  the  universe." 

"  How  many  islands  there  are  in  this  har- 
bor ! "  exclaimed  Frank  to  the  Skipper. 

"  Yes,"  answered  True  Blue,  "  but  these 
islands  are  gradually  wearing  away.  Large 
herds  of  cattle  used  to  feed  on  some  of  them, 
where  now  the  ocean  rolls  its  billows." 

"  Do  you  know  the  names  of  any  of  them  ?  " 

"Of  several.  That  one  with  a  frowning 
Fort  on  it,  is  a  sort  of  key  to  the  harbor.  It 
commands  the  open  sea,  and  it  rises  in  some 
places  nearly  fifty  feet  above  high  water  mark. 


88  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

It  is  George's  Island  and  the  fort  is  named  for 
the  gallant  Revolutionary  General  Warren." 

Pointing  in  another  direction,  the  Skipper 
continued :  "  that  island  with  the  hotel  and  a 
lighthouse  on  it,  is  Long  Island,  and  behind  it 
is  Rainsford  and  the  Quarantine  Ground. 
Those  rocks  are  called  Nix's  Mate.  The  story 
is  that  a  mate  murdered  his  captain  and  buried 
him  there.  That's  Thompson's  Island  over 
yonder  with  the  Farm  School  upon  it.  That's 
a  good  thing,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  What  is  so  good  ?  "  asked  Frank. 

"  Why,  the  school.  Little  fellows  that  have 
no  homes,  or  no  good  ones,  are  taken  there 
and  trained  to  be  useful  and  happy.  In  the 
right  season  the  big  boys  work  in  the  garden, 
and  even  the  little  ones  have  gardens  where 
they  play  work.  In  the  winter  most  of  them 
go  to  school,  and  some  make  shoes  and  clothes 
for  the  school.  They  are  all  kept  busy,  and 
have  a  chance  to  learn  and  grow  up  to  be 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  89 

somebody.  Every  boy  lias  a  'freedom  suit' 
when  he's  twenty-one,  and  if  he's  apprenticed 
to  a  farmer,  he  has  a  hundred  dollars  in  addi- 
tion.'* 

"  Are  the  boys  well  fed  and  clothed  ?  " 
"  Oh  yes ;  and  they  seem  happy  and  con- 
tented.    They  have  books  to  read,  and  have 
quite  a  library  of  interesting  volumes." 
"  How  did  you  know  so  much  about  it  ?  " 
"  Oh,  I've  been  there  to  carry  the  Trustees 
or  Directors,  in  my  little  sloop,  and  so  I  found 
out." 

"  What  is  the  name  of  that  Island  with  a 
large  building  on  it  ? "  asked  Frank. 

"Oh,  that  is  Deer  Island,  and  the  Alms- 
house. It  is  large  enough  for  twelve  hundred 
people.  And  that  over  there  is  Castle  Island 
with  Fort  Independence  on  it.  And  that  one 
is  Governor's  Island,  and  Fort  Winthrop  is 
there.  Why,  my  boy,  I'd  like  to  take  you 
round  among  these  islands  some  summer  day. 
IIow  you  would  enjoy  it  ?  " 


90  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

"  Yes,  indeed  I  should,  if  I  don't  get  over- 
board." 

"  Oh,  you'll  be  more  careful  in  future.  I 
s'pose  you'd  rather  be  like  the 

*  Three  wise  men  of  Gotham  * 

who 

*  Went  to  sea  m  a  bowl,* 

if  you  could  only  stay  in  the  bowl,  than  to  be 
drenched  again  and  half-drowned." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  answered  Frank,  laughing 
at  the  idea  of  the  skipper's  quoting  Mother 
Goose  to  him  whose  days  of  babyhood  were  so 
far  back  in  the  past,  but  those  very  words 
carried  him  back  into  that  past,  and  again  his 
heart  smote  him  as  he  remembered  the  mother 
who  had  doubtless  sung  to  him,  as  many 
American  mothers  have  sung 

"Rock-a-bye,  baby,  on  the  tree  top, 
When  the  wind  blows  the  cradle  will  rock, 
When  the  bough  breaks  the  cradle  will  fall, 
Down  goes  cradle,  baby  and  all." 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  9i 

At  any  rate  he  knew  her  dear  lips  had  taught 
him  to  say,  nightly,  what  the  venerable  John 
Quiucy  Adams  said  he  never  forgot  to  say, 

"  Now  I  lay  me  dowii  to  sleep, 
I  pray  the  Lord  ray  soul  to  keep, 
If  I  should  die  before  I  wake, 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  take." 

And  so  it  happened  that  Frank's  thoughts 
were  more  with  his  far-off  mother  from  whom 
he  was  a  foolish,  and  worse  than  foolish,  run- 
away, instead  of  being  with  Boston,  its  claim 
to  be  called  "  the  Athens  of  America,"  or  its 
celebrated  Tea  Parti/,  4*c.,  while  he  was  sailing 
up  the  island-dotted  harbor  to  Boston  wharf. 


CHAPTER  VI, 


"to  abms." 

>HE  weather  became  clear, 
though  it  continued  cold,  after 
the  Flying  Fish  was  moored  at 
Lewis'  wharf,  and  pretty  soon 
Frank  received  an  invitation 
to  accompany  the  skipper  up 
into  the  city.  Fortunately, 
though  he  lost  his  cap  when  he  fell  overboard, 
he  had  a  hat  on  board  which  he  could  wear, 
and  he  very  gladly  accepted  the  invitation. 
After  a  few  calls  on  persons  with  whom  he 
had  business.  True  Blue  led  the  way  to 
Faneuil  Hall,  and  mounting  to  the  audience 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  93 

room,  Frank  soon  had  the  pleasure  of  looking 
upon  the  large  and  magnificent  painting  which 
there  represents  Daniel  Webster  speaking  in 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  that  memorable  reply  to  Hayne,  when 
he  used  the  immortal  words,  which  have 
become  a  nation's  motto  since,  "  Liberty  and 
Union  —  now  and  forever  —  one  and  insepa- 
rable." With  no  little  •  pride,  as  well  as 
pleasure,  True  Blue  expatiated  upon  the 
picture  and  its  merits,  pointing  out  Cal- 
houn, Clay  and  other  "  men  of  mark,"  who 
were  represented  there.  There  was  no  want 
of  patriotism  in  True  Blue's  utterance,  and 
Frank  felt,  as  he  looked  at  him  and  listened, 
that  if  his  country  was  really  in  danger,  here 
was  a  man  who  would  fight,  and  if  need  be, 
ilie  in  her  defence. 

}  From  the  Cradle  of  Liberty  they  went  to  the 
State  House.  The  legislature  was  in  session, 
and  therefore  they  could  not,  as  they  wished, 


*74  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

ascend  to  the  cupola  which  rests  on  the  apex 
of  the  dome,  and  from  which  a  fine,  extended 
view  of  Boston  and  its  vicinity  is  obtained. 
But  they  gazed  upon  the  marble  statue  of 
"  the  Father  of  his  country,"  which  stands  in 
a  recess  of  the  Doric  Hall,  and  visited  also  the 
rooms  in  which  the  representatives  and  the 
Senators  meet,  and  the  Library  and  Agricul- 
tural Museum.  Frank  was  particularly  inter- 
ested when  in  the  Library,  in  looking  over  a 
huge  volume  representing  the  Birds  of  Ameri- 
ca, and  painted  from  life,  and  drawn  of  life 
size  by  the  great  ornithologist,  John  James 
Audubon.  The  skeletons  of  a  horse,  and  of  a 
cow  secured  his  closest  attention  when  in  the 
agricultural  cabinet,  and  a  model  in  papier- 
mache  of  a  horse,  whose  anatomy  coidd  thus 
be  sttidied.  As  they  passed  out  of  the  front 
entrance,  and  stood  on  the  steps,  Frank  gazed 
deliglitedly  upon  the  common,  the  city,  and 
the  distant  view ;  noticing  near  at  hand,  in  the 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  95 

State  House  enclosure,  the  bronze  Statue  of 
Daniel  Webster,  he  turned  to  the  Skipper  and 
said,  "  This  is  a  red-letter  day  in  my  life,  sir. 
I  thank  you  for  all  this,  and  I  hope  I  shall  be 
able  to  show  my  gratitude  some  day." 

"  It  is  enough  for  me,  Thomas,  that  you 
enjoy  it.  I  hope  you  will  live  to  have  many 
such  red-letter  days,  and  make  a  good  and  use- 
ful man." 

There  was  really  in  Frank's  heart  an  echo- 
ing "  Amen  "  to  this  kind  wish,  but  he  felt 
that  his  friend  would  not  thus  have  praised 
him,  had  he  known  all.  He  longed  to  tell 
him,  but  he  feared  he  would  advise  him  to  re- 
turn, and  his  pride  would  not  allow  that. 

On  the  way  through  State  Street  to  the  Cus- 
tom House  which  Captain  Martin,  having 
some  business  there,  desired  to  visit,  "  True 
Blue  "  said  to  Frank,  "  Here,  Thomas,  is  the 
Post  Office.  Now  if  you  want  to  send  word' 
homo  that  you  have  got  so  far  safely,  you  can 


96  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

deposit  a  letter  here  to-morrow  and  it  will  be 
in  Washington  in  a  jiffy." 

"  I  should  like  to  write  to  my  mother,"  an- 

;  swered  Frank.    "  I'll  stop  somewhere  and  buy 

some  writing  materials."  * 

"  No,  you  won't,  by  a  long  chalk !  '  Time 
and  tide  wait  for  no  man,'  and  Skipper  Martin 
don't  wait  when  he  has  a  net  to  haul.  Besides 
there's  a  plenty  of  paper  and  pens  and  all  that 
sort  of  toggery  on  board  the  Flying  Fish,  at 
your  service,  young  man."  And  the  Skipper 
bowed  to  Frank  with  much  respect  and  a  ludi- 
crous expression  of  countenance  which  made 
Frank  laugh. 

They  soon  reached  the  Custom  House,  and 
Frank  saw  that  it  was  an  imposing  structure 
of  massive  granite. 

"  Look  at  those  columns ! "  said  Captain 
Martin,  pointing  to  the  six  large,  fluted,  gran- 
ite pillars  of  the  portico. 

"  I  see,"  said  Frank ;  "  noble,  isn't  it  ? " 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  97 

"Yes,  a  fine  row  of  them,  each  in  one 
piece,  and  each  weighing  forty-two  tons." 
"  Wliew  !  "  exclaimed  Frank. 
"  They  tell  me  this  immense  structure  is  built 
on  three  thousand  piles,  with  a  granite  plat- 
form next,  eighteen  inches  thick,  and  laid  in 
cement,  and  then  on  all  that  they  put  the 
foundations  of  those  mighty  walls." 

"I   should   think   the   building   would   en- 
dure." 

"Yes,  nothing  but  an  earthquake  could 
topple  it  down,  I  think." 

They  entered  the  Custom  House,  and  while 
the  Captain  was  transacting  his  busmess, 
Frank  looked  around  the  grand  cross-shaped 
rotunda  in  which  he  stood.  He  counted  the 
lofty,  marble  columns  w^hich  sustained  the 
ceiling.  Their  capitals  were  highly  wrought 
and  very  beautiful,  and  the  ceiling  was  orna- 
mented in  a  neat  manner,  while  the  sky-light 
was  filled  with  stained  glass. 


98  THE    RUNAWAY  BOY. 

"  How  long  were  they  in  building  this 
edifice  ? "  asked  Frank  of  his  conductor. 

"About  a  dozen  years,"  was  the  reply, 
"  and  it  cost  over  a  million  of  dollars." 

They  walked  rapidly  away  from  the  Custom 
House,  soon  after,  and  went  into  the  Market 
where  the  Skipper  wished  to  purchase  some 
supplies  for  his  vessel.  Frank  was  pleased 
with  this  edifice,  and  to  the  the  immense 
quantity  and  great  variety  of  provisions  offered 
for  sale,  while  his  eye  and  ear  were  charmed 
by  the  music  of  the  caged  birds,  and  the 
fragrance  of  beautiful  flowers  in  bouquets  or 
pots. 

Once  on  board  of  the  vessel  again,  Frank  sat 
down  to  write  to  his  mother.  He  dated  his 
letter  in  Boston,  told  her  the  incidents  of  the 
voyage,  without  however,  mentioning  the  ves- 
sel's name,  or  her  Captain's,  or  even  the  port 
from  which  they  sailed.  He  did  not  fail  to  tell 
of  his  narrow  escape  from  death  by  drowning, 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  99 

and  of  the  bravery  and  humanity  of  the  Cap- 
tain in  springing  to  his  rescue.  He  told  his 
mother  plainly  that  he  wished  her  to  under- 
stand that  he  was  with  a  friend,  but  preferred 
to  give  her  no  clue  to  his  future  destination. 
He  said  he  should  leave  that  port  for  another 
very  soon,  so  that  it  would  be  of  no  use  for  her 
to  write  to  him,  though  he  would  be  glad  to 
hear  that  they  were  all  well,  and  not  offended 
with  him  for  the  step  that  he  had  taken.  He 
hoped  much  from  the  future,  was  resolved  to 
be  industrious,  and  thought  he  should  be  suc- 
cessful, and  go  home  some  day  to  surprise 
them,  with  a  fortune  to  share  with  them. 

It  was  a  boy's  letter,  but  it  showed  a  man's 
strength  of  purpose,  and  the  mother,  as  she 
read  it,  felt  that  her  poor  misguided  son  would 
not  come  home  till  he  was  either  successful  or 
very  wretched.  But  it  assured  her  of  his 
safety,  and  was  thus  better  than  nothing. 

The  next  day  the  Flying  Fish  cast  off  from 


100  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

her  moorings,  and  set  sail  for  Marblehead. 
The  weather  had  changed  and  it  was  a  fine, 
Spring  day.  The  sea-breeze  was  cool,  but  the 
sun  shone  warm  and  bright.  The  wind  and 
tide  rapidly  propelled  the  snug  little  vessel 
down  the  harbor,  and  she  was  accompanied  by 
a  crowd  of  other  crafts,  of  all  classes  and 
dimensions. 

"  See  those  steamers !  "  exclaimed  Frank  to 
the  Skipper  as  they  stood  near  the  helmsman, 
and  looked  round  on  the  lively  scene. 

"  Yes !  How  they  cut  through  the  water 
like  a  duck,  and  leave  that  long  line  of  foam 
in  their  wake !  " 

"  Where  are  they  going  ? "  asked  Frank. 

"  Oh,  they  are  bound  to  Portland,  perhaps, 
or  to  Baltimore  or  Phiadelphia.  Don't  you 
wish  you  were  on  board  of  one  on  your  way 
back  to  Washington  ?  "  >»► 

"  No,  indeed.  I  mean  to  stay  a  long  while 
in  Marblehead  if  I  can  get  anything  to  do. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  101 

"  What  can  a  youngster  like  you  do  ?    Your 
hands  arc  too  white  and  soft." 

"  Work  can  make  them  hard  and  brown." 
"  So  it  will,  my  fine  fellow,  and  you  answer 
as  if  you  were  not  afraid  of  work.  I  dare  say 
you've  been  quite  a  help  to  your  mother.  I 
don't  see  how  she  can  spare  you  for  long." 
"  I  want  to  work  for  money  to  help  her." 
"  Oh,  that's  it  ?  WeU,  then  I'll  help  you  all 
I  can,  and  there's  my  hand  on  it.  Ad.  Martin 
will  always  help  a  boy  that  wants  to  help  his 
mother."  And  he  laid  his  hard,  rough  hand 
in  Frank's,  while  the  tears  actually  came  into 
his  eyes.  There  are  no  tenderer  hearts  than 
those  that  beat  under  a  monkey-jacket  or  a 
red  shirt,  —  hearts  as  soft  as  the  hand  may  be 
hard.  Tlie  rough  children  of  Zebulon  are  as 
sympathetic  as  any  gentle  daughter  of  Eve, 
and  there  are  no  nobler  natures  than  the  sons 
of  the  ocean.  Those  who  labor  for  their 
moral  benefit  have  great  reason  to  expect  an 


102  THE    RUNAWAY  BOY. 

abundant  harvest  from  the  good  seed  sown  in 
such  soil,  and  God's  promise  still  remains  for- 
ever sure,  that  "  the  abundance  of  the  sea 
shall  be  converted  unto  Him." 

The  Flying  Fish  sped  rapidl}^  over  the  blue 
waves  to  her  destined  port,  and  Frank's  spirits 
which  had  been  a  little  depressed,  (as  the  con- 
versation with  "True  Blue"  reminded  him 
that  he  was  a  runaway,  and  had  not  always 
loved  work,  or  been  patient  and  industrious  in 
the  performance  of  his  duties),  now  rose  to 
their  wonted  height,  and  with  a  smiling  coun- 
tenance he  watched  the  shores  of  Lynn, 
Nahant,  &c.,  and  gladly  perceived  Marblehead 
drawing  nearer  and  nearer.  The  stiff  breeze 
which  was  then  blowing  from  the  north,  took 
them  in  with  a  rush,  and  soon  they  cast  anchor 
near  a  wharf.  About  a  hundred  yards  ahead 
of  them,  was  a  high  cliff  rising  abruptly  from 
the  water. 

This  is  a  good  harbor,  generally,"  said 
"  True  Blue  "  to  Frank. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  103 

"  Isn't  k  always  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no ;  not  in  a  northeast  storm.  IVe 
heard  my  father  say  he'd  seen  twenty  vessels 
ashore  at  once,  after  such  a  storm,  on  that 
beach  yonder."  j 

The  harbor  is  separated  from  the  wide  ocean, 
whose  tumultuous  billows  roll  in  their  majesty 
beyond,  by  a  narrow  and  rocky  peninsula. 
It  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  long,  and  half  a 
mile  wide,  easy  of  access,  deep  enough  for  a 
frigate  of  many  guns,  and  usually,  as  Skipper 
Martin  said,  perfectly  safe. 

Frank  looked  with  some  curiosity  upon  the 
ancient  fishing  town  before  him. 

"It's  a  queer  place  —  old  Marblehead!" 
exclaimed  the  skipper,  "  but  you  won't  find  a 
more  hospitable  welcome  anywhere,  even  from 
the  boys,  though  it  used  to  be  said  of  us  that*- 
we  were  a  hard  set.  I've  heard  folks  say  that 
Marblchead  boys  were  as  uncivilized  as  Hot- 
tentots, and  would  throw  stones  at  a  stranger 


104  TIIE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

— '  rock  '  him,  we'd  call  it  — just  for  the  fun 
of  it.  But  all  that  is  humbug,  Thomas.  The 
boys,  since  my  day,  at  any  rate,  are  no  worse 
than  other  boys  that  live  on  the  sea-shore  and 
learn  to  rough  it  like  any  old  tar  in  their  very 
childhood.  Why,  I've  seen  boys  no  bigger 
than  you  are,  away  out  many  a  mile  from 
land  in  boats  that  they  handled  as  well  as  I 
could,  almost." 

"  How  long  is  it  since  Marblehead  was  first 
settled  ? " 

"  Over  two  centuries,  at  the  least.  It's  an 
old  place,  and  to  me  a  very  dear  one." 

Frank  soon  went  ashore  with  his  friend. 
Small  boys  in  pea-jackets  and  rubber  boots 
met  them  at  the  landing,  gave  "  True  Blue  " 
a  cordial  greeting,  by  that  title,  and  gazed 
silently,  but  persistently,  at  Frank,  who  did 
not  fail  to  return  the  compliment. 

Marblehead  is  built  on  a  high  and  rocky 
peninsula  about  four  miles  long  and  two  in 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  105 

breadth,  with  narrow,  crooked  streets,  some  of 
them  rather  steep  and  stony. 

"  True  Blue  "  took  Frank  to  the  house  of 
a  friend,  shortly  after  their  arrival,  saying, 
"  Here's  a  man  that  wants  a  boy  to  help  him 
make  shoes." 

"  I'd  like  to  be  that  boy  if  he  thinks  I  can 
do  it." 

"  You  can  try,  I  suppose,"  said  the  man, 
whose  name  was  Bartlett,  and  whose  benevo- 
lent looking  countenance  assured  Frank  of 
kindly  treatment  while  in  his  charge. 

"  I  am  willing  to  try  at  once,"  said  Frank  ; 
"  I  want  to  be  earning  something." 

"  He's  got  a  widowed  mother  to  help  sup- 
port," remarked  True  Blue  by  way  of  explana- 
tion. 

The  bargain  was  soon  made,  and  that  very 
night  Frank  took  up  his  abode  in  the  family 
of  his  employer,  to  whom  he  was  known  by 
the  name  of  Thomas  Evans. 


106  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

He  wrote  a  letter  that  evening  to  Oscar, 
telling  him  his  prospects,  but  adding,  "  I  don't 
know  but  I  am  a  fool  after  all  to  leave  my 
home.     I  wish  I  felt  sure  I  was  right." 

To  Frank's  surprise  and  pleasure  when  he 
got  to  the  Post  Oflfice,  there  was  a  letter  for 
Thomas  Evans,  and  he  soon  found  it  was  from 
Oscar.  It  assured  him  that  his  mother  and 
sister  were  well,  for  Oscar  had  seen  them  that 
day,  yet  not  to  speak  with  them,  as  they  were 
not  aware  that  the  sharp-eyed  boy  whom  they 
often  saw  near  the  house  was  the  associate  of 
their  dear  Frank,  and  the  boy  whose  evil  in- 
fluence had  lured  him  from  his  home.  Had 
they  known  it,  probably  they  would  have  en- 
deavored to  discover  Frank's  new  home, 
through  him. 

Frank  felt  relieved  to  know  that  his  de- 
parture had  not  made  his  home  friends  sick, 
and  with  a  lighter  heart  he  went  to  work 
next  day.    To  do  him  justice,  it  must  be  said 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  107 

he  worked  diligently  aiid  with  good  success. 
Occasionally  he  saw  True  Blue,  and  wished  he 
was  never  going  to  leave  Marblehead.  But 
the  vessel  was  old,  and  he  was  soon  about  to 
engage  in  the  Navy,  he  said,  if  he  could  get  a 
chance. 

Only  a  few  days  more  of  comparative  peace 
for  the  country,  and  then  came  the  memorable 
12th  of  April,  1861,  when  the  guns  of  the 
rebellious  South  were  opened  on  Fort  Sump- 
ter,  the  largest  fort  in  Charleston  harbor,  and 
then  under  the  command  of  Major  Robert 
Anderson.  At  half  past  four  o'clock  on  that 
Friday  mornmg  was  the  first  gun  fired,  and  a 
brisk  firing  was  kept  up,  till  finally,  being 
without  provisions  and  ammunition.  Major 
Anderson  reluctantly  hauled  down  the  beauti- 
ful flag  of  our  country  and  surrendered  the 
Fort.  Litelligence  was  rapidly  conveyed  to 
the  North,  and  the  impression  being  that 
Washington  would  be  the  next  point  of  attack, 


108  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

President  Lincoln  issued  a  call  for  sevcnty-fi>'e 
thousand  men  to  protect  the  city.  Massachu- 
setts, with  her  usual  promptness,  responded  at 
once  to  the  appeal,  and  Monday  morning  saw 
a  brave  band  of  men  starting  from  Marblehead 
to  defend  their  country  and  the  right,  as  their 
forefathers  had  defended  it  in  the  stormy 
period  of  the  Revolution. 

Frank  and  his  employer  were  both  at  hand 
when  the  Marblehead  company  departed. 
"  True  Blue "  was,  of  course,  among  them. 
With  tears  in  his  eyes,  he  grasped  Frank's 
hand,  and  said,  "  Good  bye,  my  lad !  I'm 
proud  to  have  this  privilege  of  defending  the 
dear  old  flag.  If  I  don't  come  back  again, 
think  of  me  as  one  that  died  for  Liberty  and 
the  Union." 

"  I  wish  I  was  big  enough  to  go ! "  said 
Frank,  and  he  heartily  regretted  that  he  had 
left  Washington,  for,  if  there,   even   a  boy 


THE   RUNAWAY    BOY.  109 


might  have  found  something  to  do  when  the 
cry  of  '^  To  arms  !  to  arms  1 "  was  sounding  aU 
through  the  North,  and  brave  hearts  respond- 
ed,  "  Welcome ! " 


CHAPTER  YU. 

THE     NEW     HOME. 

RANK  went  back  to  his  last.  He 
had  learned  to  stitch  the  uppers 
on  to  the  soles  pretty  well,  and 
was  progressing  finely  in  his 
new  employment.  He  boarded, 
as  we  have  intimated,  in  the 
family  of  his  employer,  and  by 
his  pleasant  ways  and  uniform  excellent  be- 
havior, soon  won  the  regard  of  those  under 
whose  roof  he  dwelt.  The  children  of  the 
family  also  loved  him.  They  were  much 
younger  than  himself,  so  that  their  interest 
seldom  or  never  clashed  as  might  have  been 

110 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  Ill 

tlie  case  with  older  children.  On  the  whole, 
Frank  had  a  tolerably  pleasant  home  ;  a  much 
pleasanter  "  berth,"  as  "  True  Blue "  would 
have  said,  than  a  runaway  deserved. 

The  influences  about  him  were  also  of  a  de- 
cidedly moral  and  religious  character,  and 
with  a  view  to  make  his  mother  feel  happier 
about  his  absence,  Frank  wrote  to  her  in  a  let- 
ter which  he  afterwards  sent  to  Boston,  and 
had  it  there  mailed  to  Washington,  as  follows : 

"  You  will  be  glad  to  know,  dear  mother, 
that  the  man  for  whom  I  work  is  a  pious  man. 
He  goes  regularly  to  church  every  Sabbath, 
and  always  wants  me  to  go  with  him,  and 
sometimes  I  do  ;  in  fact,  I  generally  do,  unless 
I  have  a  very  interesting  book  to  read,  or  do 
not  feel  well  enough.  I  don't  mean  for  you  to 
worry  about  me.  I'm  well  enough,  except  a 
little  headache  or  so,  once  in  a  while.  True 
Blue  wouldn't  call  me  sick  as  long  as  I  could 
*  eat  my  allowance  of  grub,'  as  he  would  say." 


112  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

When  Frank's  mother  read  the  last  sentence 
she  wondered  who  True  Blue  could  possibly 
be,  and  said  to  Mary,  "  I  wish  we  knew  who 
Frank  means,  for  then  we  might  get  a  clew  to 
his  whereabouts.  None  of  our  acquaintances 
go  by  that  name." 

Frank  continued  in  his  letter,  "I  hear 
praying  enough,  if  that  will  do  me  any  good, 
mother,  for  my  employer  always  has  prayers 
in  his  family,  night  and  morning,  and  some- 
times in  the  evening ;  prayer  meetings  are 
held  in  his  house,  at  which  I'm  always  ex- 
pected to  be  present.  I  want  to  please  my 
employer,  for  he  gives  me  fair  wages,  and 
treats  me  kindly,  and  so  I'm  always  on  the 
spot,  and  if  I  do  get  tired  of  it  sometimes,  and 
nod  before  the  last  prayer  is  over,  why,  how 
can  you  blame  a  fellow  like  your  Frank  !  " 

His  mother  smiled  as  she  read  all  this,  and 
said  to  Mary,  "I  think  the  prayers  will  do 
liim   no  harm.     If  he  has  got  into  a  Christ- 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  113 

ian  family,  I  am  truly  glad  and  thankful. 
God  is  good  to  me  in  thus  sheltering  my 
wayward  boy.  I  do  hope  that  this  family  act 
as  well  as  pray  in  a  Christian  manner,  for, 
otherwise,  Frank  is  sharp-sighted  enough  to^ 
detect  the  hollowness  of  hypocrisy,  and  such 
conduct  would  drive  him  from  God  rather 
than  attract  him  to  our  Heavenly  Father." 

"  Yes,  mother,"  answered  Mary,  "  I  hope 
they  are  real  Christians." 

The  Bartlctts  were  such  Christians  —  such 
hi  heart  and  life  as  well  as  profession.     They 
lived  their  religion,  and  while  they  reverenced 
the  Sabbath,  they  did  not  keep  their  piety  for 
that  one  day  of  all  the  week,  but  every  day 
saw  them  in  the   quiet  performance   of  the 
active  duties  of  Christianity.    They  did  not 
fall  into  the  error  of  separating  religion  from 
common  life,  and  hence  Frank  respected  their 
piety,  and  their  influence  over  him  was  de- 
cidedly beneficial. 


114  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

Had  they  known  that  he  was  a  runaway  hoy, 
no  means  would  have  been  spared  to  induce 
him  to  return  to  his  mother,  or  to  gain,  if  pos- 
sible, her  full  consent  to  his  remaining  with 
theni.  But  never  giant  guarded  a  cave,  or 
dragon  a  fairy  castle,  as  the  lovers  of  romance 
have  depicted  them,  more  jealously  than  Frank 
guarded  his  one  secret.  He  was  a  changed 
boy  in  many  respects.  New  scenes,  new  em- 
ployments, and  above  all,  a  sense  of  responsi- 
bility which  had  been  awakened  in  him,  took 
away  much  of  the  boy  from  him,  and  made 
him  by  so  much  more  a  vian.  Ordmarily, 
this  would  have  been  undesirable.  The  happy 
period  of  innocent  childhood  should  not  be 
abridged,  but,  when  it  is,  by  the  force  of  cir- 
cumstances, or  the  human  will,  there  is  much 
calm  satisfaction  in  the  fact  that  mature  years 
and  thought  bring  also  the  delights  of  virtuous 
maiiliood  or  womanhood,  where  the  human 
flower  is  nurtured  tenderly  in  the  Providence 
of  God. 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  115 

God  cared  lor  Frank  though  he  was  a  runa- 
way boy.  In  His  infinite  pity  He  shielded 
hun  from  many  evils  to  which  he  was  exposed 
by  his  departure  from  his  home  and  a  loving 
mothers  care.  But  God  did  not  design  that- 
Frank  should  be  thus  way^vard,  and  not  suffer 
for  it.  No  man  or  boy  can  sin  with  impunity. 
Sm  and  sorrow  go  hand  in  hand.  Every  evil 
deed,  as  well  as  every  good  one,  will  receive 
its  just  recompense  of  reward.  Frank  could 
not  escape  from  his  wrong-doing,  for  as  the 
Scripture  declares,  "  Be  sure  your  sin  will  find 

you  out.'' 

\Vlien  True  Blue  went  away  to  Washington, 
Frank  felt  a  little  of  the  punishment  he  de- 
served, or  rather,  he  realized  a  little  more  the 
consequences  of  his  sin,  in  the  deep  and  una- 
vailing regret  he  felt  that  he  was  not  at  hand 
to  see  all  that  was  going  on  in  Washington, 
and,  if  need  be,  to  aid  his  mother  should  the 
city  be  attacked  by  rebels.    However  he  dis- 


116  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

liked  labor  when  at  home,  he  felt  that  he 
would  gladly  now  toil  hard  if  he  could  only  be 
there,  and  he  closed  his  letter,  from  which  we 
have  already  taken  two  paragraphs,  with  the 
words,  "  I  shall  be  glad  when  I  get  money 
enough  to  return  to  Washington,  and  take 
care  of  you  and  Mary,  in  these  war-times." 

Strange,  infatuated  boy!  If  he  had  only 
told  his  employer,  money  would  have  been 
offered  him  to  return,  and  his  mother,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes,  said  to  Mary,  "  I  wish  we 
knew  where  to  direct  to  him,  and  I  would 
send  him  money  to  come  home,  immediately." 

But  Frank  was  a  self-constituted  exile  from 
home's  sweet  joys.  His  regret  was  unavoida- 
ble upon  reflection,  for  "  the  way  of  the  trans- 
gressor is  hard,"  always. 

Meanwhile,  the  Capitol  City  was  fast  becom- 
ing the  most  military  city  on  the  Continent. 
The  President  called  for  seventy-five  thousand 
men  on  the  fifteenth  of  April.     The  free  states 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  IIT 

nobly  responded.  As  early  as  the  eighteenth 
of  April  seventeen  cars  loaded  with  troops,  in 
all  about  six-hundred  men,  all  armed  and 
equipped,  arrived  from  Harrisburg,  by  the 
way  of  Baltimore,  and  were  quartered  in 
rooms  in  the  Capitol. 

Soon  after,  Frank  received  a  letter  from 
Oscar,  who,  to  do  him  justice,  was  very  prompt 
about  writing  to  the  boy  he  had  injured  by  his 
bad  influence.     Oscar  was,  as   might  be  ex- 
pected, "  wide  awake  "  about  that  time.    "  Oh 
Frank !  I  wish  you  were  here !  "  wrote  he. 
« In  fact  I  was  a  fool  to  help  you  get  away 
when  I  couldn't  or  didn't  go  with  you,  for  I 
miss  you  now,  m  these  exciting  times.     Only 
think !  the  other  day  they  deposited  a  lot  of 
new  stuff  in  the  Treasury  building.    What  do 
you  think  it  was?    You're  a  greeny,  if  you 
think  it  was  gold.    But  then  I  shouldn't  won- 
der  if  you  couldn't  guess. 
First  let  me  tell  you  there's  any  quantity 


118  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

of  soldiers  right  in  the  Capitol  building,  eating 
there  and  sleeping  there  and  dwelling  there. 
And  the  Treasury  department  holds  their 
provisions.  There's  any  quantity  there ;  bar- 
rels full  of  white  beans,  barrels  of  sugar,  sacks 
of  coffee,  &c.,  &c.  Uncle  Sam  might  keep 
store  if  he  wanted  to.  All  round  the  General 
Post  Office  are  stored  hundreds  of  barrels  of 
pork  and  other  army  supplies. 

The  avenues  to  the  city  had  been  guarded 
and  closely  watched  day  and  night.  They 
planted  cannon  in  commanding  positions,  so  as 
to  sweep  the  river  if  the  rebels  dared  to  attack 
us.  The  Mayor  —  you  know  him,  Berret  — 
Mayor  Berret,  he  issued  a  proclamation  for  all 
good  citizens  and  sojourners  to  be  careful  so  to 
conduct  themselves  as  neither  by  word  or  deed 
to  give  occasion  for  any  breach  of  the  peace. 

And,  I  can  tell  you,  Frank,  we  were  pretty 
anxious  here,  when  we  heard  of  the  rascally 
conduct  of  some  of  those  Baltimore  secession- 


THE   RUxNAWAY   BOY.  119 

ists,  and  how  they  shot  Massachusetts  men 
right  down  in  the  street.  We  didn't  know 
but  that  the  same  scenes  would  be  acted  over 
here  m  Washington.  I  hardly  slept  a  wink 
till  the  New  York  Seventh  Regiment  arrived 
on  the  twenty-seventh.  I  wasn't  frightened, 
old  fellow,  you  needn't  think  so,  but  I  couldn't 
sleep,  and  I  guess  the  men  couldn't  either.  I 
never  saw  my  father  so  uneasy. 

Oh,  Frank !  I  wish  you  had  been  here  when 
that  New  York  regiment  marched  up  Pennsyl- 
vania avenue,  preceded  by  their  band.  They 
did  make  a  fine  appearance,  I  can  tell  you. 
And  all  folks  acted  as  if  they  were  half  crazy 
with  joy  as  they  saw  them.  The  men  cheered, 
and  the  women  waved  their  handkerchiefs.  I 
heard  a  lot  of  darkey  women  cheering  as  loud 
as  anybody,  and  one  of  'em  hollored  out, 
*  We'll  be  free,  hurrah ! '  I  saw  one  rough 
looking  fellow  shake  his  fist  at  her,  but  she 
only  hollered  out,  *  I'se  mighty  'fraid  you're  a 


120  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

secessionist!'  and  he  bolted.  Some  of  'em 
would  have  hustled  him  if  he  hadn't. 

And  in  a  few  days  after,  who  do  you  think  I 
saw  among  the  soldiers  ?  But  of  course  you 
know.  I  learned  that  the  Eighth  Massachu- 
setts Regiment  was  there,  and  a  Marblehead 
company  in  it,  and  I  hunted  round  to  find 
somebody  that  might  know  him,  and  lo  !  there 
he  was  himself.  Wasn't  I  glad  to  see  him  ? 
But  I'd  be  more  glad  to  see  you.  Keep  up  a 
good  heart,  and  come  home  with  a  fortune 
when  you  come." 

This  letter  did  not  cheer  Frank.  He  was 
saddened  by  it.  In  fact  he  looked  so  sad 
about  it,  that  Mrs.  Bartlett  kindly  asked  him 
if  he  was  sick.  He  answered  "No,"  and 
then,  asking  to  be  excused  from  the  table,  he 
went  up  stairs  to  his  lonely  bed,  where  no 
mother  would  come  to  tuck  him  up  and  hear 
him  say  his  prayers  as  in  his  younger  days, 
and  as  he  thought  of  her  and  his  home,  the 


"m..  '"^^ 


Fnuik  and  Ills  letter.      PaL,'<-   120. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  121 

fountain  of  tears  was  loosed,  and  he  buried 
his  face  in  his  pillow  and  wept  as  if  his  heart 
would  break.  He  was  unhappy,  but  he  was 
not  penitent  yet.  For  even  then  he  did  not 
have  it  in  his  heart  to  return  to  his  mother. 
He  was  only  like  the  prodigal  son  in  finding 
that  he  had  husks  to  eat  instead  of  the  bread 
of  contentment.  But  not  yet  did  his  heart 
echo  the  words,  "  I  will  arise  and  go  unto  my 
father,  and  say  unto  him,  Father,  I  have 
sinned  against  heaven  and  in  thy  sight,  and 
are  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son." 
He  put  Oscar's  letter  out  of  sight,  for  it 
pained  him  to  see  it,  and  next  day  sat  down 
on  his  bench,  to  make  shoes,  with  a  heavy 
heart. 


CHAPTER  Ym. 


LETTERS. 

RANK  did  not  answer  Oscar's 
letter  immediately,  it  awoke  so 
many  unpleasant  thoughts,  but 
before  long  the  latter  wrote 
again.  His  mind  was  on  the 
alert,  with  such  stirring  scenes 
all  around  him,  and  he  was 
having  a  portion  of  his  punishment  for  urging 
Frank  to  go  away,  in  the  longing  desire  he  had 
to  see  and  commune  with  one  whose  ready 
sympathy  he  knew  he  possessed,  and  the  an- 
swering reflection  that  his  own  evil  deed  had 
deprived  him  of  the  friend  he  prized. 

122 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  123 

So  he  fled  to  his  pen  for  refuge  from  these 
dreary  thoughts,  and  thus  Frank  had  another 
description  of  the  scenes  occurring  at  his 
Washington  home.  Oscar  wrote,  after  men- 
tioning that  Frank's  mother  and  sister  were  in^ 
good  health  and  their  house  well  filled  with 
boarders,  some  of  them  the  wives  of  officers  in 
the  Union  army  who  were  stationed  at  Wash- 
ington, as  follows : 

"  I  wish  you  were  here  to  go  with  me  to 
camp.  There  are  troops  on  Arlhigton  heights, 
and  camps  in  various  places  on  this  side  the 
Potomac,  and  on  the  heights  opposite,  in 
Virginia. 

Oh  Frank !  I  went  with  father,  on  the 
night  of  the  twenty-third  of  May,  out  to  one 
of  the  camps.  He  had  some  official  business, 
and  had  a  pass.  It  was  a  glorious  night. 
The  full  moon  was  shining,"  — 

Frank    paused,  as  he  read,  and  tried  to 


124  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

remember  where  he  was,  himself,  on  that 
evenmg,  and  finally  recollected  that  he  went 
to  carry  some  shoes  to  the  manufactory  by 
whom  liis  employer  was  supplied  with  work, 
and  that  the  weather  was  so  beautiful,  the 
calm  moonlight  so  enchanting,  that  he  lin- 
gered on  his  way,  and,  finally,  when  he  had 
done  his  errand,  he  walked  down  to  the  shore, 
and  stood  a  long  while  looking  off  upon  the 
moon-lit  waves,  watching  the  dancing  ripples 
beneath  the  silvery  light,  but  all  the  while 
feeling  an  indescribable  sadness  and  loneliness, 
as  the  thought  of  his  far-off  home,  and  his 
own  waywardness  smote  on  his  soul  like  the 
stroke  of  a  lance  on  a  molten  shield  which 
would  send  back  an  answering  ring.  The 
response  to  such  a  reflection  could  not  be 
otherwise  than  painful.  He  left  the  narrow 
beach,  and  turned  away  into  the  uneven 
streets.  Soon  he  passed  pedestrians  hurrying 
along,  then  groups  of  boys  loudly  talking  of 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  125 

vessels  and  fishing,  or  the  soldiers  and  the 
war,  and  finally  he  came  to  a  large  edifice  set, 
as  it  were,  in  the  center  of  a  square,  each  end 
alike  with  similar  high  steps  and  wide  entran- 
ces. Every  Marblehead  boy  will  recognize  the 
building.  He  sat  down  upon  the  steps. 
Along  the  street  was  heard  a  confused  noise 
of  rapid  feet  and  merry  voices.  A  bevy  of 
boys  were  hastening  up  the  street.  As  they 
drew  nearer,  one  of  them  called  out  in  a  loud 
voice,  heard  far  above  all  the  din  of  the  others, 
"  Frank  !     Frank !  where  are  you,  Frank  ?  " 

Impulsively,  and  utterly  forgetting  his  new 
and  assumed  name  of  Thomas,  and  with  his 
mind  still  so  intent  on  Washington  and  Oscar, 
Frank  rose  to  his  feet  and  gave  'an  answering 
shout,  "  Here,  boys !  here  I  am !  '* 

The  sound  of  his  own  voice  broke  the  spell. 
He  did  not  repeat  tlie  shout.  He  felt  that  he 
was  an  impostor,  going  about  Marblehead  as  he 
was,  with  an  assumed  name.     He  realized  how 


126  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

mean  it  was  thus  to  deceive,  and  the  loss  of 
self-respect  was  the  consequence  of  the  re- 
flection. The  many  light-hearted  boys,  who 
had  not  heeded  his  reply  to  the  shout  of  one 
of  their  number,  went  on  their  way  to  their 
pleasant  homes,  and  the  poor  self-exiled  runa- 
way sat  down  again  upon  those  steps,  in  the 
clear  moonlight,  and  wept  long  and  bitterly. 
"  What  a  fool  I  was !  "  thought  he,  "  and  how 
mean  and  wicked !  " 

Now,  as  he  read  Oscar's  letter,  and  looked 
back  to  the  night  of  the  full  moon,  he  remem- 
bered all  this,  and  the  same  sense  of  deep 
wretchedness  came  over  him,  like  a  salt  and 
bitter  wave  which  would  not  only  submerge 
his  joyousness  but  which  he  must  taste,  and 
suffer  in  tasting.  He  swallowed  his  emotion, 
literally,  and  went  on  with  the  letter. 

"  The  full  moon  was  shining  and  it  was  per- 
fectly quiet.  We  stayed  till  long  after  mid- 
night, and   saw   some   of  the   troops   silently 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  127 

marching  to  their  new  stations.  You  ought  to 
liavc  seen  them  wlicn  they  marched  along  in 
the  moonlight.  Their  bright  bayonets  gleam- 
ing in  the  silver  rays,  looked  strikingly  beauti- 
ful, as  my  father  afterwards  told  raotlier.  We 
came  home  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  met  on  our  way  a  large  body  of  troops 
going  to  Arlington  Heights. 

The  next  day  our  troops  took  possession  of 
Alexandria.  They  went  from  here  in  two 
steamers,  and  landed  at  Alexandiia  pretty  near 
where  the  '  Flying  Fish '  was,  when  you  went 
on  board.  They  called  those  soldiers  who 
went  there  Zouaves,  on  account  of  their  pecu- 
liar dress  and  drill.  Their  leader  was  Colonel 
Ellsworth,  a  young  man,  but  father  says,  one 
of  the  bravest  of  men,  and  of  good  principles. 
There  never  was  such  a  set  of  men  as  those 
Zouaves,  so  our  boys  all  think  —  they  were  so 
perfect  in  drill.  But  only  think  I  —  and  per- 
haps you've  already  heard  it  from  the  papers 


128  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

—  that  brave  young  Colonel  was  killed  on  that 
very  expedition.  He  was  shot  by  a  rascally 
proprietor  of  a  hotel.  Colonel  Ellsworth  went 
upon  the  hotel,  and  took  down  the  secession 
flag  which  was  there.  He  wrapped  it  around 
himself  and  started  to  come  down  again.  As 
he  was  coming  down  the  stairs,  the  landlord 
of  the  Marshall  house  where  he  was,  fired  at 
him  and  killed  the  brave  Colonel.  One  of  his 
men  who  stood  near  —  I  believe  his  name  is 
Brownell,  fired  back  on  the  landlord,  and  killed 
him.  The  body  of  Colonel  Ellsworth  was 
brought  to  Washington,  and  the  funeral  ser- 
vices performed  at  the  White  House.  Oar 
noble  President  was  chief  mourner.  I  went  to 
the  funeral,  and  to  see  the  body  of  the  brave 
defender  of  the  stars  and  stripes.  I  declare  I 
felt  bad,  Frank,  and  I  wished  I  was  a  year  or 
uo  older,  and  that  father  would  let  me  enlist. 
I  tell  you  what,  old  fellow,  if  this  war  lasts  I 


THE   UUNAWAY    BOY.  129 

mean  to  be  a  soldier  and  fight  for  my  country. 
I  wish  you  were  as  old  as  I  am,  and  both  of  us 
as  free  as  you  are  to-day.'* 

Now  came  another  twinge  to  Frank's  con- 
science, lie  knew  that  the  freedom  from 
parental  restraint  which  he  possessed,  but 
which  we  cannot  say  he  enjoyed,  was  wrongly 
obtained,  and  he  felt  that  he  could  not  expect 
to  be  happy  in  exercising  it.  But  he  put 
away  such  thoughts,  as  well  as  he  could,  and 
read  on. 

"  I  saw  True  Blue  the  other  day,  Frank, 
and  he  asked  me  if  I  had  seen  your  folks,  and 
told  them  all  he  told  me  about  you,  and  then 
he  said  he  would  like  to  see  them  so  as  to  tell 
you  about  it,  when  his  three  months  are  up, 
and  he  goes  back  to  Marblehead.  I  turned 
the  subject  then  for  fear  he  would  insist  upon 
it,  and  you  know  that  would  never  do. 
I   shall   bluff  him  off  some   way   if  he   says 


130  THE    RUNAWAY   BOY. 

much  more.     But  I  must  close  this  long  letter, 
hopmg  to  hear  from  you  very  soon. 
I  remain  your  old  chum, 

Oscar." 

Frank  sat  almost  motionless  after  he  had  done 
reading  this  letter,  and  finally  the  tears  gath- 
ered in  his  eyes.  His  employer  sat  at  his 
work-bench  not  far  away  The  little  boy  —  the 
son  of  his  employer  —  who  had  brought  Frank 
the  letter,  was  standing  at  his  father's  side, 
spelUng  out  a  lesson  in  his  reading  book,  and 
his  father  ever  and  anon,  paused  in  his  work 
of  waxing  ends,  using  the  awl,  or  pulling 
through  the  thread,  as  he  diligently  sewed  the 
shoes  he  was  making,  and  helped  his  little  boy 
over  the  rough  places  in  his  road  to  knowl- 
edge. 

Mr.  Bartlett  noticed  Frank's  emotion  as  he 
read  the  letter,  but  he  said  not  a  word  till  he 
saw  the  crystal  drops  gather  on  the  quivering 


THE   RUNAWAY    BOY.  IBl 

eyelids.  Tlien  he  spoke  iii  a  kind  and  gentle 
tone,  "  Thomas,  lad,  have  you  sad  news  from 
home?" 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  Frank 
"  Your  mother  is  well  ?  " 
"  Yes,  sir,  and  my  sister,  too.     My  letter  is 
from  an  old  playmate." 

"  You  seem  troubled  about  it.     Can  I  aid 
you  in  any  way  to  make  you  feel  better  ?  " 

"No,  sir,  I  think  not.     The  letter  makes 
me  rather  homesick." 

"Poor  boy!  no  wonder!  But  cheer  up, 
you  wiU  go  home  by-and-by,  with  something 
handsome  to  give  your  mother,  if  you  keep  on 
being  industrious  as  you  have  been.  You  do 
remarkably  well  for  a  youngster.  Look  on 
the  bright  side,  and  trust  in  God.  Yoiu- 
heavenly  Father  keeps  an  eye  over  you.  As 
True  Blue  would  say,  he  '  keeps  a  sharp  look- 
out' for  his  children." 

Frank  did  not  answer  to  this,  "  but  alas  !  " 


132  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

thought  he,  "  I'm  not  oue  of  his  children,  at 
any  rate,  I'm  not  a  good  one,  and  I  ought  to 
be.  I  wish  I  could  reform,  or  start  anew  some 
way,  for  now  I  am  so  unhappy." 

Not  many  days  after  he  resolved  to  write  to 
Oscar.  He  took  the  pen  and  mk,  which  Mr. 
Bartlett  kindly  lent  him,  to  his  own  room 
where  he  had  some  paper,  and,  putting  his 
lamp  on  an  old  chest  of  drawers  which  were 
there,  he  stood  and  wrote  to  his  former  play- 
mate. He  contrasted,  mentally,  the  con- 
veniences for  writing  which  he  had  on  this 
occasion  with  the  comfortable,  cosy  little 
sitting  room,  at  his  home,  where,  in  an  easy 
chair,  he  could  sit  at  the  great  secretary  and 
write  with  comfort.  Now,  he  could  expect 
none  of  these  things.  He  was  simply  a  hired 
boy  under  his  employer's  roof,  hardly  earning 
his  board  and  clothes,  by  almost  incessant 
labor,  and  not  possessing  any  right  to 
expect     any    convenience    or    elegant     ease. 


'"  THE   RUNAWAY  BOY.  133 

Littlo  back-parlors,  and  prettily  furnished 
library  rooms,  must  give  way  to  an  attic  of 
small  dimensions,  and  limited  accommoda- 
tions in  the  way  of  furniture.  But  it  was 
what  Frank  had  choosen  in  choosing  to  run 
away  from  home.  He  was  coming  to  realize 
this  to  a  painful  degree,  and  through  his 
privations  —  though  they  were  comparatively 
small,  —  to  learn  that 


'  In  the  path  alone  of  Dimr 
Can  the  immortal  mind  repose, 

Peace  dwells  there  and  there,  In  beauty, 
Sharon's  lovely  flow'ret  grows." 


He  wrote  with  a  heavy  heart  to  Oscar. 
"  My  old  friend,"  said  he,  "  your  letters  are 
welcome,  but  they  make  me  long  to  be  back 
in  Washington,  especially  just  now.  I  fear  I 
did  a  very  foolish  thing  in  running  away,  but 
I  don't  know  that  I  want  to  return  yet.  In 
one  of  your  letters  you  said  the  boys  are  quite 


134  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

interested  in  my  welfare,  are  glad  I  got  off  so 
easy,  and  am  doing  so  well,  only  they  would 
like  to  have  some  fan  with  me.  Tell  them 
never  to  follow  my  example.  I  don't  mean  to 
back  out,  but  I  am  not  happy  as  a  runaway, 
and  I'd  just  as  lief  you  knew  it  as  not.  I  tell 
you  a  fellow  feels  mean  running  round  the 
world  under  an  assumed  name,  and  I  want  to 
hear  from  my  mother,  too,  You  may  laugh, 
as  you  used  to  about  such  things,  and  say  I'm 
*  tied  to  my  mother's  apron  strings '  but  there's 
nothing  like  having  a  mother  to  love  you  and 
look  after  you.  A  fellow  may  get  tired  of 
being  dictated  to  sometimes,  and  long  for  his 
freedom,  but  a  mother  is  something  a  boy 
prizes  when  he  does  get  away.  I  dare  say 
there's  many  and  many  a  boy  to-night,  who 
wishes  he  had  a  mother  to  care  for  him  as  ten- 
derly as  mine  did  for  me,  and  would  give  all 
the  world  to  have  her  where  they  could  get  to 
her,  instead  of  having  her  dear  form  under 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  135 

the  sod.  Oscar,  this  change  of  my  life,  this 
experience  may  be  making  a  better  boy  of  me. 
At  any  rate  it  mukes  a  soberer  and  sadder  one. 
I  will  not  write  any  more  of  this,  it  makes  my 
heart  ache  so. 

Give  my  respects  to  True  Blue.  Don't  let 
him  see  my  mother.  I  can't  bear  to  have  him 
know  that  I'm  a  runaway." 

Frank  then  described  his  daily  tasks,  spoke 
of  the  war  just  then  begun,  and  finally  closed 
with,  "  If  the  war  lasts  I  hope  I  shall  serve  my 
country  too,  and  fight  for  the  honor  of  the 
dear  old  flag. 

Yours,  ever, 

Frank  Nelson, 

alias,  Thomas  Evans. 

P.  S.  Don't  it  seem  like  a  criminal  to  have 
an  alias  ? " 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  CHANGE. 

T  last  the  time  came  when 
True  Bkie  was  to  return. 
The  three  months  men  were 
to  see  their  homes  again. 
Tliey  had  fulfilled  their  term 
of  service,  had  been  of  no 
little  use  in  protecting  the 
Capitol,  and  had  won  the  good  opinion  of  all 
loyal  men,  and  the  thanks  of  the  country  for 
the  promptness,  energy,  and  fidelity  which 
marked  their  brief  military  career.  Many  of 
them  re-enlisted,  but  some  of  them  who  had 
been    summoned    like    Coriolanus    from    liis 

136 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  137 

plough,  at  tho  call  of  the  President,  to  leave 
their  daily  business,  found  it  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  they  should  return  home  and  attend 
to  it  again,  or,  if  they  were  yet  needed  to  save 
their  country,  to  make  requisite  preparations 
for  closing  it  up  in  a  commendable  manner. 

War,  and  the  dangers  of  war,  were  new 
things  to  the  generation  now  called  to  the 
stern  duties  of  patriotism,  and  therefore  more 
than  wonted  anxiety  was  felt  by  those  who 
gave  up  their  dear  ones  at  the  call  of  Liberty, 
and  on  their  return  each  face  was  bright  and 
each  heart  jubilant. 

The  balmy  air  of  the  "  soft,  summer  time  " 
was  stirred  by  the  musical  voices  of  the  bells, 
ringing^ a  glad  welcome.  The  deep  mouthed 
cannon  bayed  on  Salem  Common,  and  all 
around,  wakening  the  echoes  along  the  rocky 
shores  of  Marblehead,  and  telling  the  toil-woni 
and  travel-worn  soldiers  that  they  were  hon- 
ored gucbts,  for  that  time,  in  their  own  dear 


138  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

homes.  Civil  and  municipal  authorities  vied 
with  each  other  in  furnishing  the  escort  and 
the  eloquence  which  should  assure  the  brave 
men,  who  had  not  hesitated  to  peril  then-  lives 
for  their  country's  existence,  that  their  sacri- 
fices were  appreciated,  and  tables  loaded  with 
dainty  viands  awaited  those  who  had  left 
home's  comforts  and  luxuries  for  government 
rations  in  knapsack,  or  by  camp  fires. 

Frank  was  on  the  qui  vive  to  see  his  good 
friend.  He  was  anxious  too,  about  it,  for  he 
did  not  know  whether  Oscar  had  succeeded  in 
refusing  the  wish  of  True  Blue  to  see  the 
mother  of  the  boy  Thomas  whom  he  had  saved 
from  drowning,  and  for  whom  he  therefore  felt 
a  deeper  interest.  One  glimpse  art;  True 
Blue's  honest,  open  countenance,  as  he  stepped 
from  the  car,  and  glancing  right  and  left, 
caught  the  eye  of  his  young  friend,  assured 
Frank,  that  whatever  he  might  know  of  his 
misdeeds,  at  any  rate  his  heart  was  as  friendly 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  139 

as  ever.    Frank  pushed  his  way  through  the 
crowd,  and  caught  the  hand  of  the  hrave  sailor- 

soldier. 

"Thomas,  my  boy!  how  are  you?  You 
look  hearty,  my  old  shipmate.  Old  Marble- 
head  must  agree  with  you." 

"  But  I  fear  Washington  didn't  with  you. 
You  look  pale  and  sick." 

"  That's  a  fact,  my  boy ;  I'm  too  much  of  a 
sailor  to  be  healthy  alongshore.  The  warm 
weather  on  land  has  taken  the  wind  out  of  my 
sails.  I  can't  march  as  well  as  I  could  when 
I  went  away.  Didn't  Oscar  write  you  that  I 
had  been  sick  ?  " 

«No,"  answered  Frank,  "he  wrote  about 

you,  but  not  that." 

«  Did  he  tell  you  that  I  wanted  to  see  your 
mother  before  I  left,  so  as  to  bring  you  the 
latest  news  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Frank,  "  he  wrote  about  that, 
and  — , "  Frank  hesitated.    He  could  not  tell 


1-iO  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

a  deliberate  falsehood,  and  add  that  he  hoped 
he  had,  or  that  he  had  wished  him  to  do  so. 

So  he  paused,  and  blushed,  actually  blush- 
ed— ,  but  True  Blue,  did  not  notice  it  and 
went  on  — , 

"  I  was  too  sick  to  go,  finally,  toward  the 
last  of  my  being  there,  and  I  had  to  give  it  up, 
but  I  didn't  want  to.     You'll  excuse  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  said  Frank,  blithely,  for  he  was 
really  glad  that  True  Blue  had  learned  no 
more  about  his  true  name  and  character. 
Just  then,  some  other  friends  came  up  to  wel- 
come True  Blue,  and  soon  the  time  which  was 
given  to  the  soldiers,  in  which  to  greet  their 
friends  on  arrival,  was  at  an  end,  and  they 
were  ordered  to  "  fall  in  "  and,  proceeded  by  a 
band  of  music,  they  marched  away  from  the 
depot. 

True  Blue  remained  so  feeble  that  he  did 
not  like  to  enlist  again,  either  in  the  army  or 
navy.    But  as  the  summer  days  glided  away 


TIIL    RUNAWAY    BOY.  141 

ho  seemed  to  grow  sti'oiiger,  Frank  saw  a 
great  deal  of  him,  for  he  was  often  at  Mr. 
Bartlett's  and  not  unfrequently  invited  his 
young  friend  to  go  out  on  the  water  with  him 
on  those  brief  piscatory  excursions  which  True 
Blue  enjoyed  so  much,  and  which  he  regarded 
as  particularly  beneficial  to  his  health,  and 
very  possibly  they  did  conduce  to  his  recovery. 

One  morning  he  came  to  Mr.  Bartlett's  and 
inquired  for  Frank.  "  He  is  out  sawing  and 
splitting  wood,"  was  Mrs.  Bartlett's  reply. 

"  He  is  rather  industrious,  isn't  he  ?  "  asked 
True  Blue. 

"  Yes,  generally,"  ^ic  replied  ;  "  in  fact,  he 
never  objects  to  doing  anything  that  I  ask  him 
to  do,  though  sometimes  I  can  see  that  he 
moves  about  it,  as  if  it  were  some  sort  of 
drudgery." 

I  "  He  evidently  has  never  worked  a  great 
deal,"  said  True  Blue,  "  but  he  seems  willing 
to  pull  an  oar  with  the  rest.     I  want  him  to 


142  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

pull  one  with  me  to-day.     I  want  to  go  out  on 
the  water  again." 

"  Your  element,  Skipper  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  element,  Mrs.  Bartlett,  if  you 
will  call  it  so.  I  love  the  ocean.  I  love  to 
be  rocked  on  its  mighty  bosom.  A  ship  is  a 
jolly  cradle  to  me,  and  I  don't  care  if  I'm  out 
of  sight  of  land  for  days  together." 

"  Why  don't  you  go  in  the  Navy  ?  " 

"  I'm  going,  Mrs.  Bartlett,  as  soon  as  I  get 
well  enough." 

Just  then  Frank  entered.  "  Going  where  ?  " 
asked  he,  having  heard  only  True  Blue's  last 
words,  and  feeling  alarmed  lest  he  was  about 
to  lose  his  friend  again. 

"  Going  to  fish  off  Nahant,  if  I  can  get 
Thomas  Evans  to  go  with  me.  I  want  to  be 
gone  two  or  three  days." 

"  Can  Mr.  Bartlett  spare  me  ? "  asked 
Frank,  looking  delighted  at  the  proposal. 

"  I  hope  so,"  was  the  sympathising  response 
from  Mrs.  Bartlett.     "  Shall  I  go  and  see  ?  " 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  143 

"No,  ma'am,"  answered  Frank,  "he  will 
tell  me  the  same  that  he  would  you,  and  if  he 
need  me  I  don't  want  to  go  and  incommode 
him." 

So  Frank  went  boldly  to  the  shoemaker,  and 
asked  if  he  might  be  spared  for  several  days  to 
go  with  Skipper  Martin. 

"  He's  as  fine  a  fellow  as  ever  trod  a  quar- 
ter-deck," answered  Mr.  Bartlett.  "  I  can  get 
along  without  you  for  a  while,  and  for  liis  sake, 
as  well  as  your  own,  I'll  say  '  7/^5.' "  Mr. 
Bartlett  looked  up  with  a  benevolent  smile, 
and  Frank  felt  that  he  had  a  better  employer 
than  he  desei-ved. 

So  they  went  away  together  —  True  Blue 
who  would  have  scorned  to  do  a  mean  action, 
and  Frank  Nelson  who  had  wilfully  placed 
himself  in  a  false  position,  and  was  a  way- 
ward, misguided,  runaway  boy.  In  after  life, 
as  he  should  look  back  on  those  years,  he 
would  be  sure  to  feel  that  God  was  better  to 


144  THE    EUNAWAY  BOY. 

him  than  he  deserved,  in  giving  him  such  a 
judicious,  excellent  friend,  when  the  general 
inference  would  be  that  only  evil  companions 
would  gather  about  a  truant  from  his  home. 
But  Frank  was  not  a  bad  boy  in  the  maui ; 
that  is,  he  was  not  specially  vicious  in  his 
tastes  and  habits,  he  was  weak  and  wayward, 
impatient  of  restraint,  and  easily  influenced 
for  good  or  evil. 

"  How  are  you  going  ? "  asked  Frank,  as  the 
twain  pursued  their  way  to  the  wharf. 

"  In  the  little  sloop  we  went  on  board  of, 
the  other  day  —  the  Clio." 

"How    happens    it    she    goes    round    to 
Nahant?" 

"  Oh,  she's  got  to  go  to  Swampscot ;  and  we 
can  make  a  home  in  her,  and  then  go  out  fish- 
ing from  her." 

"  I  understand ; "  said  Frank,  "  that's  capi- 
tal!" 

They  went  on  board   the  snug  little  craft, 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  145 

and  were  soon  on  their  way.  Only  two  men 
were  on  board  who  belonged  to  the  vessel,  and 
one  young  dandy  who  was  a  passenger,  and 
had  evidently  never  been  out  to  sea  before, 
and  hardly  ever  smelt  salt  water.  How  he 
came  in  Marblehead  in  that  ignorant  plight 
seemed  a  mystery,  for  the  very  air  of  the  rocky 
promontory  was  ever  redolent  of  nautical  life 
and  experiences.  But  so  it  was,  and  the 
dandy  was  hopelessly  "green,''  as  Frank 
thought,  while  True  Blue  slily  whispered, 
"He's  a  land-lubber,  and  wo  shall  have  fun 
before  he  sails  far." 

Sure  enough  they  did.  Soon  after  the  sloop 
was  under  way,  it  became  necessary  to  "  'bout 
ship,"  and  while  tacking  it  was  requisite  that 
a  rope,  which  was  fastened  aft  should  be  made 
loose,  that  the  sail  might  change  in  order  to 
catch  the  wind.  It  was  equally  necessary  that 
this  should  be  done  in  good  season  when  the 
helm  was  moved  for  a  change  in  the  vessel's 


146  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

course,  or  the  wind  might  strike  the  sail  in  a 
different  from  the  desired  manner,  and  either 
capsize  the  boat  or  vessel,  or,  at  any  rate, 
defeat  the  end  in  view. 

When  they  were  about  to  tack,  the  skipper 
of  the  bonny  little  craft  sang  out,  "  Look 
sharp,  there !  stand  by  to  let  go  that  sheet." 

"  Aye,  aye  sir  I "  shouted  True  Blue,  and 
sprang  to  the  post  of  duty.  Frank  watched 
the  movements  with  intelligent  interest.  The 
dandy  looked  on  in  silent  wonder,  and  a  little 
timidity. 

"  Let  go  !  "  shouted  the  Skipper,  and  looked 
round  towards  those  who  were  standing  near 
the  sheets.  The  dandy  thought  he  looked  at 
him,  and  ere  the  stentorian  voice  died  away, 
he  half-tremblingly  answered,  with  a  look  of 
helpless  and  hopeless  ignorance  on  his  face, 
"  I  ain't  aw  touchin'  any  thin',  aw!  " 

True  Blue  skilfully  executed  the  order  at 
once,  but  meanwhile  he  had  observed  the  com- 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  147 

ical  look  of  the  surprised  ignoramus,  and 
heard  the  response,  and  he  "  could  not  keep 
in,-',  as  he  afterwards  said,  but  shouted  with 
exuberant  mirth,  while  Frank  roared  with 
laughter.  The  other  men  joined  in  chorus, 
but  the  dandy  remained  in  blissful  uncon- 
sciousness of  the  cause  of  their  mirth,  and 
looked  vacantly  off  upon  the  ocean.  It  was  a 
long  while  before  Frank  and  True  Blue  recov- 
ered their  equilibrium.  Their  risibilities 
seemed  to  have  been  permanently  disturbed. 
When  there  was  a  lull  in  their  glee,  one  would 
roguishly  whisper  to  the  other,  "  I  ain't  aw 
touchin'  anythin,  aw,"  and  put  on  an  idiotic 
stare,  and  then  their  mirthfulness  would  boil 
over  again. 

"  It  wont  hurt  us  to  laugh,"  said  True  Blue, 
"  its  good  for  me,  and  the  Good  Book  says  '  a 
merry  heart  doeth  good  like  a  medicine.'  " 

A  heavy  fog  came  rolling  in  from  the  ocean 
not  long   after   they  left   Marblehead  harbor, 


148  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

but  they  held  on  tlieir  course.  The  sea  was 
disturbed,  heavy,  surghig  waves  tossing  the 
little  vessel  like  a  playtliing  on  its  bosom. 
"What  makes  the  waves  so  large,'*  asked 
Frank,  "  when  the  wind  is  so  light  as  we  have 
it  now  ? " 

"  Oh,"  replied  True  Blue  "  it's  always  so 
when  there's  a  fog.  I  suppose  fog  causes  it, 
but  I  don't  know  why.  There's  a  great  many 
things  about  the  ocean  man  cannot  compre- 
hend. The  Atlantic  is  a  study  for  a  lifetime, 
and  then  you'll  only  get  into  your  abs." 

As  they  sailed  along  they  heard  a  horn. 
"That's  the  Nelly  Bilker's  horn!"  said  the 
Skipper.  "  She's  early  coming  in,  and  she's 
got  caAight  in  tlie  fog." 

An  answering  horn  was  heard  from  the 
Nahant  sliore.  Working  their  way  slowly 
in,  the  Clio  at  last  came  to  an  anchor  in 
Swampscot  harbor.  After  a  while  the  fog 
lifted,  and  then  the  anchor  was  raised,  and  the 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  149 

vessel  moved  in  to  her  proper  moorings.  Tho 
moorings  consisted  of  a  heavy  iron  chain 
fastened  to  a  rock  weighing  several  tons, 
which,  years  before,  liad  been  taken  from  tho 
neighboring  beach,  and  dropped  to  tho  bottom 
of  the  bay.  The  sailors  knew  its  whereabouts, 
because  its  position  was  indicated  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  harbor,  by  a  cask  attached  to  a 
stout  rope,  and  the  manner  of  securing  the 
vessel  to  her  was  to  haul  the  cask  on  board, 
and  make  it  fast  on  deck.  Thus  the  vessel 
was  held  to  her  place,  only  swinging  lazily  to 
and  fro  with  the  tide. 

Swampscot  is  a  village  near  Lynn,  and  has 
a  fleet  of  some  fifty  or  sixty  fishing  sloops  and 
schooners,  each  of  wliich  has  her  own  moor- 
ings indicated  as  above  mentioned,  or  by  somo 
sort  of  a  buoy,  and  fastened  generally  to  two 
old,  large  ship's  anchors. 

Swampscot  has  an  Indian  name,  and  was 
once  a  favorite  resort  of  the  aborigines.    Here 


150  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

they  had  a  village  of  their  rude  huts.  Tlie 
name  of  the  tribe  is  said  to  have  been  "  Aber- 
gonians, "  and  at  the  time  the  English  colony 
was  settled  here,  they  were  governed  by  a 
female  chief — a  "  Squaw  Sachem."  Ancient 
records  show  that  from  1634  to  1641,  it  was 
occupied  as  a  farm  by  Sir  John  Humphrey, 
one  of  the  original  patentees  of  Massachusetts. 
For  over  two  hundred  years  it  was  a  part  of 
Lynn.  Only  a  dozen  years  ago,  or  so,  it  was  a 
small  fishing  village,  unprepossessing  in  its 
appearance,  but  romantically  situated  with 
beaches,  coves,  and  rocky  points,  that  were 
exceedingly  picturesque,  and  attracted  the 
summer  sojourners  of  Nahant.  It  was  a  droll, 
queer  place,  then,  and  some  one  says  was 
"  very  like  the  Scotch  fishing  village  described 
in  '  the  Antiquary.'  " 

But  all  this  is  changed.  Now  it  is  a  fine 
looking,  populous,  flourishing  town,  with 
handsome  houses,  clean  streets,  and  along  its 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  151 

rocky  shores  and  beaches  are  some  of  the 
most  elegant  sea-side  mansions  in  the  State 
—  charming  retreats  from  the  noise  and  bustle 
of  the  busy  world,  and  from  the  sultry  heat 
and  close,  confined  air  of  our  tlironged  cities. 


"  Nor  rural  sights  alone,  but  rural  sounds 
Exhilarate  the  spirits,  and  restore 
The  tone  of  languid  nature.    Mighty  winds, 
That  sweep  the  skirt  of  some  fair-speaking  wood 
Of  ancient  gro^vth,  make  music  not  unlike 
The  dash  of  ocean  on  his  winding  shore, 
And  lull  the  spirit  while  they  fiU  the  mind," 


CHAPTER  X. 

ON  BOARD  THE  CUO. 

^CARCELY  was  the  Clio  safe  at 
^3  her  moorings  ere  the  sea-fog 
settled  slowly  and  surely  around 
them  again.  It  was  afternoon, 
and  True  Blue  had  designed  to 
spend  some  time  in  rowing 
around  the  shore.  He  was 
obliged  now  to  give  that  project  up,  and  so  he 
set  himself  busily  at  work  to  prepare  fishing 
apparatus  for  himself  and  Frank.  It  was  not 
difficult  to  do  this,  for  every  article  needed 
was  on  board  m  duplicate,  and  many  dupli- 
cated forms.     There  was  fresh  bait  also  on 

152 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  153 

board  in  the  shape  of  clams  yet  in  the  shell, 
and  so  far  from  being  bereft  of  the  low  form 
of  life  which  they  possess,  were  clapping  and 
snapping  and  grinding  their  shells  occasion- 
ally, apparently  at  one  another,  or,  to  say  in 
clam-language,  "  I'm  not  dead  yet,''  which  is 
the  vulgar  version  of  Daniel  Webster's 
sublimely  expressive  final  words,  "  I  still  live." 
They  baited  hooks  with  some  of  these  clams, 
and  threw  them  overboard.  Frank's  line 
seemed  to  stretch,  and  the  hook  to  be  in  the 
grasp  of  some  finny  creature,  and  he  pulled 
rapidly  away,  hand  over  hand,  bringing  up 
finally  to  the  surface,  to  his  surprise  and  dis- 
appointment, only  a  large  bunch  of  sea-weed. 

True  Blue  was  a  little  more  fortunate.  He, 
too,  pulled  vigorously  as  soon  as  he  felt  a  bite, 
and  drew  up  a  large  sculpin.  "  Here's  a 
grubby  for  you !  "  shouted  he.  "  The  New 
Yorkers  call  it  a  toad-fish." 

The  specimen  lay  gaspuig  on  the  deck,  its 


154  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

great,  staring,  goggle  eyes,  with  their  black 
pupils  and  golden  irides,  giving  it  a  ridiculoas 
appearance. 

"  How  brightly  colored  its  fins  are,"  ex- 
claimed Frank,  "  and  its  tail,  too  ?  But  it  is 
far  from  handsome.  In  fact,  if  it  was  as  large 
as  it  is  ugly,  it  would  be  perfectly  frightful." 

"  Just  so,"  responded  True  Blue.  "  He's  a 
lazy  thing,  too.  He  swims  but  little,  and 
spends  his  time  lying  on  the  bottom  with  his 
fins  open  waiting  for  his  grub  to  come  along. 
He'll  eat  anything,  and  bite  at  a  hook  no 
matter  how  it  is  baited.  And  he  never  tries 
to  get  off  the  hook.  In  short  he  acts  like  an 
idiot." 

"  Is  the  sculpin  good  to  eat.  True  Blue  ? " 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,  Thomas :  I've  heard 
some  say  he  was  fit  to  cook,  but  I  shouldn't 
want  to  eat  him,  if  I  could  get  any  better  food. 
I  got  hungry  after  fi^esh  fish,  once,  while  I  was 
away  with  the  three  months'  men,  and  I  don't 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  155 

know  but  I  would  have  catcu  a  sculpin  then, 
if  I  could  have  got  one." 

"  The  camp-ground  near  Washington  was  a 
different  place  from  this  blue  water,  and  the 
rocking  you  like  so  well  must  have  been  great-. 
ly  missed." 

"  Yes,  Thomas,  but  I  don't  regret  for  a  mo- 
ment that  I  went.  My  country  called  me, 
and  Ad.  Martin  wont  wait  for  his  country  to 
call  him  twice  when  he  hears  her  the  first 
time.  Did  I  ever  tell  you  that  I  saw  the 
President  one  day  ?  " 

"  No,  nerer,  except  once  when  you  were  all 
marching,  or  on  review,  you  said  he  was  look- 
ing at  you.  I  suppose  you  mean  some  other 
time." 

"  Yes,  I  mean  once  when  I  was  all  alone. 
I  was  walking  near  the  White  House,  and  the 
great  and  good  man  came  out.  He  had  his 
yomigest  son  by  the  hand.  Little  Willie  seem- 
ed very  happy,  and  his  father  seemed  so  kind. 


156  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

I  was  taken  aback  to  see  him  so  familiar-like, 
so  like  any  other  kind  and  good  man,  that 
wasn't  a  President.  I  forgot  myself,  and 
stood  staring  at  them  till  he  raised  his  eyes 
and  looked  at  me.  Then  I  woke  up,  and 
made  a  salute.  Only  think  he  returned  my 
salute  with  a  polite  bow,  and  I  went  on,  feel- 
ing jDroud  of  having  been  noticed  in  any  way 
by  Abraham  Lincoln." 

Frank  listened  to  this  narrative  with  inter- 
est, but  yet  with  a  pang  at  the  thought  that 
he  might  have  been  nearer  to  the  President, 
and  perhaps  have  had  a  bow,  too,  from  him  if 
he  had  not  choosen  foolishly  to  be  a  runaway. 
Both  he  and  True  Blue  mourned  with  the 
President  when  that  little  Willie  went  up  to 
join  the  angels,  and  the  heart  of  the  nation's 
chief  was  desolate  in  his  loss. 

True  Blue  and  Frank  kept  on  fishing,  till 
they  had  caught  about  a  dozen  cunners,  and 
they  then  paused  and  cleaned  their  prey  for 
supper. 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  157 

"'These  look  some  like  pond-fish,"  said 
Frank. 

"  Yes,  Thomas,  they  do,  and  some  call  them 
sea-perch.  But  I  generally  hear  them  called 
dinners  or  nippers." 

"Why  call  them  nippers?  because  they 
have  such  a  nipping  bite  ?'* 

"  I  suppose  so,  Thomas.  The  New  Yorkers 
call  them  *  bergall's*  —  a  Dutch  name,  I  guess. 
But  the  Indian  name  is  '  chogset.'  " 

"  I  think  it  has  names  enough  for  so  small  a 
fish,"  remarked  Frank,  musingly. 

"  That  isn't  all.  A  man  told  me  that  in  a 
book  he  read  once,  it  was  said  that  the  Boston 
folks  call  them  *blue  perch.'  But  I  never 
heard  anybody  call  them  so." 

And  True  Blue  proceeded  to  prepare  his 
fish  for  the  frying-pan  by  stripping  oil  the 
skin,  leaving  the  flesh  white  and  delicate. 

Toward  sunset  the  fog  which  had  been 
rather  midesirable 


158  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

"  Rose  up  in  many  a  spectral  shape 
And  crept  away  in  silence  o'er  the  waves. 

The  sea,  from  silvery  white  to  deepest  blue, 
Changed  'neath  the  changing  colors  of  the  sky ; 

The  distant  lighthouse  broke  upon  the  view 
And  the  long  land-points  spread  before  the  eye." 

True  Blue  and  Frank  went  on  deck,  after 
their  supper  of  fried  cunners,  which  tasted 
well  enough  for  an  epicure,  and  threw  them- 
selves down  on  some  ropes  near  the  stern, 
where  they  could  lie  quietly  and  gaze  upon 
the  sky  and  shore  and  the  restless  billows  of 
the  great,  wide  sea. 

Frank  felt  unusually  calm  and  contented. 
Out  there,  swinging  at  anchor,  he  seemed  cut 
adrift  from  ordinary  pursuits,  and  lifted  above 
daily  cares  and  the  ceaseless  reproaches  of  his 
conscience,  and  for  awliile  he  forgot  that  he 
was  a  wayward  youth  who  had  too  soon  and 
too  rudely  snapped  the  cords  that  bound  him 
to  home  and  a  mother.  He  did  love  out-door 
life.     He  was  learning  to  love  the  freedom  of 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  1^9 

an  ocean-life,  and  so  when  True  Blue  proposed 
that  he  should  go  with  him  out  on  a  fishing 
cruise  to  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  he  glad- 
ly assented.  True  Blue  thought  Frank's  em- 
l)k)yer  would  not  object,  and  would  give  him 
work  just  the  same  on  his  return. 

"  How  beautiful  the  picture  is  before  us  !  " 
exclaimed  True  Blue,  who,  like  many  a  sailor 
who  may  seem  in  his  characteristic  roughness 
careless  of  such  things,  was  a  dear  lover  of 
the  beautiful  in  art  or  nature.  Frank  looked 
AN  here  he  pointed,  saw  the  indentations  of  the 
coast,  —  you  could  hardly  call  it  a  harbor,  — 
and  the  small,  white  fishing  houses  all  along 
the  shore  of  the  shallow  bay,  and  the  wooded 
slopes  of  the  green  hills  dotted  by  ornamental 
cottages  and  elegant  villas,  while  the  golden 
glory  of  the  sunset  hour  lighted  the  whole 
scene,  and  made  it  a  picture  of  surpassing 
beauty. 

In  another    direction  was    to  be  seen  the 


IGO  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

dark  rocks  of  Nahant,  its  frowning  cliffs  and 
pebbly  beaches,  and  near  the  end  of  the 
promontory  the  immense  hotel  which  has  since 
been  destroyed  by  fire. 

On  the  other  side  the  snrf  broke  on  the 
beach,  and  near  by  stood  the  Ocean  House, 
while  back  over  the  stern,  they  could  see  Egg 
Rock  with  the  white  lighthouse  perched  on  its 
summit,  and  the  waves  foaming  and  dashing 
around  its  base. 

There  was  quite  a  fleet  of  small  vessels 
anchored  or  moored  near  to  the  Clio ;  and  they 
also  added  to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  scene. 
Most  of  them  were  schooners,  and  they  ranged 
in  size  from  five  to  fifty  tons.  The  fishermen 
called  these  vessels  "jiggers."  They  are 
employed  in  fishing  for  the  market,  and  take 
the  fish  they  catch  immediately  to  the  shore 
for  sale,  never  salting  and  drying  them.  In 
the  pleasant  summer  weather  the  Swampscott 
fishermen  sail  round  to  Boston  to  sell  their 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  IGl 

fish,  but  in  Winter  the  Boston  fish-mongers 
come  by  land  to  Swampscott  and  obtain  tlieir 
supply  of  fresh  fish. 

For  a  long  while  True  Blue  and  Frank  lay 
there  talking  of  the  scenery,  the  vessels  and 
fishing.  At  last  the  stars  began  to  glitter  in 
the  evening  sky,  and  insensibly  the  conversa- 
tion grew  more  serious :  "  Thomas,"  said 
True  Blue,  "  how  great  God  must  be,  when 
He  makes  such  great  and  such  beautiful 
things.  I  don't  wonder  the  Psalmist  says, 
'  Wlien  I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy 
fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars  which  thou 
hast  ordained;  what  is  man  that  thou  art 
mindful  of  him  ?  and  the  son  of  man  that  thou 
visitest  him  ! '  sometimes  I  feel  so  insignificant 
in  the  midst  of  the  vast  imiverse  God  has 
made  that  I  can  hardly  feel  myself  worthy  of 
Uis  care  and  love." 

The  skipper  and  his  shipmate  were  standing 
near  to  True  Blue  when  he  spoke,  (the  dandy 


162  THE    RUNAWAY  BOY. 

was  early  put  on  shore  in  Swampscott,  for,  as 
he  said,  "  the  ocean  did  not  agree  with  his 
delicate  state  of  health),"  and  the  skipper 
answered,  "  That's  so ! "  while  the  other 
added,  "Yet  he  loved  us  so  well  as  to  give 
His  dear  Son  to  bring  us  back  to  Himself." 

"  Yes,"  answered  True  Blue,  and  there  was 
increased  solemnity  in  his  tones,  and  an  inex- 
pressible tenderness  gleamed  out  of  his 
speaking  eyes,  lighting  up  his  sun-burnt  fea- 
tures, which  were  plainly  to  be  seen,  by  those 
near  him,  in  the  fading  light  of  the  dying  day, 
"  and  I  can  truly  say,  to-night,  that  I  love 
Him  who  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me, 
and  it  is  with  a  joyful  heart  —  glad  even  to 
tears  of  joy  sometimes  —  that  by  the  eye  of 
faith  I  see  Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little  lower 
than  the  angels  by  the  suffering  of  death, 
crowned  with  glory  and  honor,  that  he  by  the 
grace  of  God  should  taste  death  for  every 
man.    I  want  to  grow  more  and  more  like 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  163 

him  that  wlicii  I  cast  anchor  it  may  be  in 
heaven's  broad  bay,  where  I  can  praise  him 
and  serve  him  without  sin  forever." 

A  solemn  stilhiess  followed  this  outburst  of 
Christian  emotion.  The  men  who  listened 
were  moved  by  deep  sympathy ;  the  boy  who 
looked  up  into  True  Blue's  face  was  awed 
with  the  thought  that  God  miglit  some  day 
take  his  friend  away  from  him,  up  to  the 
better  land,  and  with  the  unanswered  query 
that  then  arose,  ''  Would  they  ever  meet 
again  ?  would  the  runaway  boy  be  forgiven 
and  saved,  notwithstanding 

*  Those  holy  gates  forever  bar 
Pollution,  sm  and  bhamc  ? ' " 

True  Blue  himself  broke  the  pause  by 
asking  if  it  was  not  growing  too  cool  to  stay 
on  deck  longer,  without  more  clothing,  and 
finally  he  and  Frank  concluded  they  had  better 
"  turn  in  "  early,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  fishing 


164  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

and  rowing  in  the  morning.  The  light-house 
fires  were  ah-eady  blazing  on  the  highlands 
around,  and  on  far-away  capes,  from  whence 
their  light  came  glimmering  across  the  solemn 
sea.  Frank  leaned  over  the  side  of  the  vessel, 
for  a  little  while,  after  True  Blue  went  to  his 
berth,  and  silently  thought  of  home  and  his 
mother.  He  might  fling  care  away  through 
the  busy  hours  of  some  few  days,  when  excit- 
ing scenes  kept  his  thoughts  on  the  things 
immediately  around  him,  but  night  and  its 
brooding  stillness  always  brought  the  memory 
of  the  past,  and  along  with  it  a  remorseful 
emotion,  but  alas!  not  yet  came  also  genuine 
penitence  such  as  would  make  him  return  and 
ask  forgiveness. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


IN  THE  DORY. 


>0-MOIlROW  '11  be  a  new  day ! " 
was  the  suggestive  phrase  with 
which  a  saintly  and  sainted 
woman  used  to  console  one 
who  went  to  her  with  child- 
hood's petty  cares  and  sorrows, 
and  usually  the  morrow 
brought  relief  from  that  juvenile  trial  or  the 
needed  measure  of  strength  to  bear  it. 

Frank  found  that  "  to-morrow  "  was  *^  a  new 
day^  to  him  when  he  opened  his  eyes  and 
leaped  from  his  narrow  berth  the  next  morn- 
ing.    Gone  were  the  misgivings  and  fears  of 

165 


166  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

the  night  before,  for  he  had  been  refreshed  by 
sleep,  and  in  dreamland  he  had  roved  in  fairy 
bowers.  True,  he  may  not  have  deserved  that 
it  should  be  so,  but  surely  it  was  better  for  his 
health  of  body  and  of  mind. 

"  How  do  you  steer,  to-day  ?  "  asked  True 
Blue  from  his  berth,  in  his  customary  nautical 
style. 

*'  Just  as  you  direct.  I  hope  we  shall  be 
able  to  go  to  Nahant  in  the  dory." 

"  We'll  try,  Thomas,"  was  the  answer,  and 
Frank  hastily  ascended  to  the  deck.  But  alas ! 
no  picturesque  scenery  of  last  night  did  he 
behold.  Fog,  dense  and  dark,  was  at  the 
stern,  at  the  bow,  alongside.  Fog  enveloped 
them,  and  Frank's  heart  sank  as  he  thought 
of  the  projected  dory  voyage.  But  it  was  of 
no  use  to  fret.  Hastily  rigging  his  fishing 
tackle,  he  soon  threw  over  the  coveted  clam, 
and  secured  the  unwary  or  greedy  cunners. 
By  the  time  the  cook  was  ready  to  prepare 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  167 

breakfast,  he  had  caught  enough  to  fry  a 
respectable  panful.  But  he  kept  on  till  break- 
fast was  ready.  By  that  time  the  orb  of  day 
had  risen,  and  he  was  glad  to  note  that 

i  ' 

*        "  The  mist  that  like  a  dim,  soft  pall  was  lying, 

Mingliug  the  gray  sea  with  the  low  gray  sky, 
Floats  upwiu-d  now,  the  sunny  breeze  is  sighing"  — 

and  the  promise  of  a  day  for  boating  is  fairly 
given. 

Breakfast  over,  the  dory,  which  had  been 
lying  at  the  stern,  was  drawn  alongside,  fishing 
apparatus  put  on  board,  and  the  twain  who 
liked  to  be  "  off  and  away  o'er  the  billows* 
together,"  stepped  into  their  places  at  the  bow 
and  stern,  and  gaily  shot  away  over  the  waters. 
At  first  True  Blue  thought  he  would  "  scull," 
or  propel  the  boat  by  means  of  an  oar  at  the 
stern,  but  finally  concluded  that  he  and  his 
companion  would  enjoy  sitting  near  each  other 
and  rowmg.     This  they  did,  and  there  chatted 


168  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

pleasantly  of  many  things,  especially  of  the 
houses  and  scenery  in  view. 

"  Were  you  ever  in  that  great  hotel  ? "  asked 
Frank,  looking  half  over  his  slioulder  at  the 
building  of  which  he  spoke  in  Nahant. 

"  Yes,  once  ;  "  answered  True  Blue,  "  it's  a 
babel-like    structure,    only    large    instead  of 

"  Did  you  ever  see  a  larger  hotel  ? " 
.  "Never.  This  is  said  to  be  the  largest 
in  America.  There's  four  acres  of  carpeted 
floors,  and  nine  miles  of  bell- wire.  And  then 
it's  lighted  with  gas  made  on  the  premises. 
There's  a  telegraph-wire  to  Boston,  so  that  the 
folks  stopping  there  can  hear  from  the  rest  of 
the  world,  and  the  news  is  sent  there  before  it 
gets  into  the  Boston  papers.  At  least,  all  this 
used  to  be  done,  when  I  was  there,  but  I  don't 
think  Xahant  is  such  a  favorite  place  as  it  was 
once." 

"  How  do  travellers  get  out  here  ? " 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  169 

"Oh,  somo  come  in  the  steamer  Nelly 
Baker,  whose  horn  we  heard,  you  know,  in  the 
fog,  and  some  come  by  cars  to  Lynn  and  take 
the  stage  to  Nahant." 

"  Well,  I  don't  wonder  they  like  to  come 
here,  and  enjoy  the  cool  sea-breezes,  and  bathe 
in  tlie  ocean,  and  sail  on  it,  too." 

"Nor  I,  Thomas.  They  have  jolly  times, 
some  of  them.  Sailing  parties  and  chowder 
picnics  are  the  order  of  the  day  when  the  sun 
is  out,  and  when  it  rains  there  is  the  bowling- 
alley,  and  billiard-room,  the  hops  and  concerts 
and  theatricals,  for  those  that  like  such 
things." 

All  the  while  the  dory  was  drawing  nearer 
to  Nahant,  and  before  long  they  drew  it  up  on 
the  beach,  and  started  for  a  ramble  over  the 
rocky  peninsula.  Some  regard  Nahant  as  an 
island.  One  writer  seems  to  prove  this  idea 
from  the  character  of  the  vegetation  and  from 
other  peculiarities  in  which  it  differs  from  the 
neighboring  sliores. 


170  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

"Let's  go  to  the  Spouting  Horn?"  said 
True  Blue. 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  asked  Frank. 

"  Oh !  it's  a  place  where  the  water  rushes 
into  a  sort  of  tunnel  and  then  spouts  out 
again  with  a  loud  noise.     You'll  soon  see." 

Sure  enough  they  did  both  see  and  hear. 
As  they  stood  on  the  rocky  clifif  above  the 
Spouting  Horn,  Frank  exclaimed,  "  Hark !  I 
hear  thunder.  I  hope  we're  not  gomg  to  have 
a  storm !  '* 

True  Blue  only  smiled.  In  a  moment 
Frank  exclaimed  agam,  "Don't  you  hear  it 
thunder,  True  Blue?  Hadn't  we  better  go 
back?" 

"That's  the  old  Spouting  Horn,  my  boy, 
welcoming  you  and  me." 

Frank  listened  with  a  new  idea  dawning  on 
his  mind.  The  sound  now  seemed  to  rise 
from  below.  True  Blue  led  the  way,  and  they 
went  down  the  dark  rocks  till  they  stood  near 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  171 

the  wonderful  Horn.  They  watched  the  waves 
roll  in  and  break  against  the  crag ;  then  pour 
into  the  tunnel. 

"  How  far  does  the  water  run  into  that 
cavern,  True  Blue?"  asked  Frank. 

"  The  tunnel  is  said  to  be  a  hundred  feet  in 
length." 

Frank  fairly  danced  with  delight,  and  exhil- 
arated by  the  wildness  of  the  scene,  and  the 
startling  efifect  of  the  white  sheets  of  foam  and 
spray  which  came  forth  with  a  thundering 
sound  from  the  rocky  cavern,  he  clapped  his 
hands  again  and  again,  at  every  outburst  of 
sound  and  spray,  and  shouted  aloud  "  Hurrah  1 
Hurrah  1" 

True  Blue  was  pleased  with  Frank's  evident 
delight,  and  allowed  him  to  linger  some  time 
an  enthusiastic  spectator  of  the  novel  sight. 

Then  he  proposed  a  further  ramble,  and 
they  climbed  the  rocks  agam,  and  walked 
along.    True  Blue  pointed  out  Castle  Rock, 


172  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

and  Saunders'  Ledge,  the  first  an  immense 
pile  of  rocks,  in  form  and  arrangement  re- 
minding one  of  some  old  feudal  stronghold, 
and  the  latter,  huge  iron-colored  rocks  around 
which  the  waves  disport  in  their  mighty  gam- 
bols. On  they  went.  At  Caldron  GlifF  they 
saw  the  water  boiling,  but  not  as  furiously  as 
during  some  terrific  storm.  In  Roaring  Cav- 
ern they  listened  almost  with  awe  to  the  waves 
again.  Then  they  crossed  Natural  Bridge, 
and  stood  on  Pulpit  Rock,  a  large  mass  of 
stone  nearly  twenty  feet  square,  and  rising 
thirty  feet  or  more  above  the  foaming  waters. 
The  ascent  to  this  Rock  was  very  difiicult,  and 
the  twain  with  difficulty  accomplished  it. 

Passing  on  around  the  extreme  point  of 
the  promontory  they  visited  Swallows'  Cave, 
a  passage  eight  feet  high,  ten  wide,  and  open- 
ing into  the  sea,  and  finally  paused  at  Irene's 
Grotto,  "  a  tall  arch,  grotesque  and  beautiful, 
leadmg  to  a  large  room  in  the  rock  and  one  of 


THE   RUNAWAY    BOY.  173 

the  greatest  curiosities  of  Xaliaiit."  Not  far 
away  was  tlie  wliarf  wlicrc  the  steamer  lands. 
They  finished  their  ramble  with  a  visit  to  the 
great  hotel,  which  they  did  not  enter,  and 
which  did  not  then  look  as  if  it  were  thronged 
with  visitors. 

After  a  brief  rest  in  one  of  the  pavilions 
near,  they  went  back  to  their  dory,  and  em- 
barked again  upon  the  blue  waters. 

"  What  are  these  things  in  the  water  ? " 
asked  Frank,  pointing  to  some  jelly-like  look- 
ing substances,  circular  in  form,  ahnost  trans- 
parent, and  in  shape,  while  floating  something 
like  an  expanded  umbrella. 

"  Oh,  we  call  those  things  surirsquallsj^  an- 
swered True  Blue,  "  or  sea-nettles,  or  sea- 
jellies." 

i  "  They  have  ahnost  as  many  names  as  the 
cunner." 

"  Yes,  and  the  Grermans,  I  have  heard,  call 
them  by  a  name  which  means  umbrellor 
jellies^ 


174  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

"  That's  a  very  good  name,"  said  Frank. 

''  I've  seen'em,"  said  True  Blue,  "  a  foot  in 
diameter  and  weighing  several  pounds  ;  but 
you  put  such  a  one  in  the  sun  a  few  hours  and 
you'll  have  nothing  left  but  some  dried  skins. 
It'll  all  dry  up,  or  evaporate." 

"  Singular !  "  answered  Frank,  musingly. 
And  True  Blue  who,  with  all  his  roughness  as 
a  sailor  seemed  to  have  the  heart  and  mind  of 
a  Christian,  responded  in  the  language  of  the 
Psalmist,  "  0  Lord,  how  manifold  are  thy 
works !  in  wisdom  hast  thou  made  them  all : 
the  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches.  So  is  this 
great  and  wide  sea,  wherein  are  things  creep- 
ing innumerable,  both  small  and  great  beasts. 

There  go  the  ships :  there  is  the  leviathan, 
whom  thou  hast  made  to  play  therein. 

These  wait  all  upon  thee ;  that  thou  mayest 
give  them  their  meat  in  due  season. 

That  thou  givest  them  they  gather  ;  thou 
openest  thine  hand,  they  are  filled  with  good. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  175 

Thou  liidest  thy  face,  they  are  troubled  ; 
thou  takest  away  their  breath,  they  die,  and 
return  to  their  dust. 

Thou  sendest  forth  thy  spirit,  they  are 
created :  and  thou  renewest  the  face  of  the 
earth. 

The  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  endure  forever : 
the  Lord  shall  rejoice  in  His  works." 

They  then  rowed  on  in  silence.  At  last 
they  came  to  a  place  at  no  great  distance  from 
the  shore  where  True  Blue  said,  "  Let's  anchor 
here  and  fish  a  little." 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir  I  "  said  Frank,  smiling,  and 
in  imitation  of  True  Blue's  style  of  speech. 
So  he  rose  and  taking  the  anchor  from  its 
place  at  the  bow,  he  dropped  it  over  into  the 
restless  waves.  Then  they  threw  over  their 
baited  lines  and  waited  patiently  for  the  fish 
to  bite.  Nor  did  they  wait  long,  and  soon  the 
bottom  of  the  dory  displayed  a  goodly  number 
of  fishes.     Quite  a  variety,  too  I     There  were 


176  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

cunners  in  the  majority,  as  to  numbers  and 
various  in  size.  Tliere  were  two  specimens  of 
rock-cod.  This  is  a  species  of  cod-fish  which 
is  small,  and  sometimes  reddish  colored : 
usually  caught  in  the  vicinity  of  rocks,  hence 
its  name.  The  other  fishes  they  caught  were 
mackerel.  Few  fishes  are  so  handsome  as  this. 
In  form  it  is  elegant,  and  in  color  beautiful 
and  brilliant.  The  upper  part  is  dark  green 
in  hue,  and  the  lower  part  silvery  white, 
while  all  along  the  sides  are  wavy  bands  of 
mixed  and  changing  colors,  reminding  one  of 
changeable  silk. 

"  I  guess  we'll  quit,  now,"  said  True  Blue. 
"  It's  past  noon,  and  I'm  hungry." 

"  So  am  I,"  said  Frank,  and  he  began  to 
haul  in  his  line,  but  before  it  was  in,  he  felt  a 
bite,  and  finally  took  into  the  dory  a  fine 
haddock. 

"  There  is  your  St.  Peter's  fish,"  exclaimed 
True  Blue. 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  177 

"  My  what  ? "  asked  Frank  in  astonishment. 

"  Do  you  see  those  dark  spots  each  side  of 
that  liaddock,  behind  the  gills  ?  In  Catholic 
countries  they'll  tell  you  that  the  haddock  is 
the  fish  from  whom  St.  Peter,  at  the  command  e 
of  Christ,  took  the  tribute  money,  these  spots 
being  supposed  to  be  the  marks  made  by  the 
Apostle's  thumb  and  finger  as  he  held  it." 

"  What  a  story  ?  "  exclaimed  Frank. 

*'  Did  you  ever  think  how  the  narrative  of 
our  Lord's  life  is  full  of  reference  to  fish  and 
fishermen  ? " 

"  No,  I  never  did." 

"  Well,  Thomas,  I  don't,  of  course,  remem- 
ber all,  but  you'll  soon  find  I'm  right  if  you 
look.  There  were  the  miracles  of  the  loaves 
and  fishes  ;  some  of  his  disciples  were  fisher- 
men, and  he  told  them  he  wished  to  make 
them  fishers  of  men.  Then  there's  the  story 
of  the  fish  with  the  tribute  money,  and  the 
parable  of  the  net  with  the  fishes  in  it,  and 


178  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

after  our  Lord's  resurrection  he  ate  broiled 
fishr 

"Well,  there  is  more  than  I  thought.  Is 
there  much  said  about  the  sea  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  the  Old  and  New  Testament  both 
speak  of  the  sea.  Genesis  tells  of  the  gather- 
ing together  of  the  waters,  called  seas,  and  tlie 
last  book  of  the  Bible  speaks  of  the  fact  that 
by  and  by  there  shall  be  no  sea." 

While  they  had  been  talking  they  had  pulled 
up  the  anchor,  and  had  begun  to  row  towards 
the  Clio.  The  day  was  delightful.  A  lull 
had  succeeded  a  tolerably  high  wind,  and  the 
waves  which  had  been  a  little  white-capped, 
had  subsided  to  the  dead  level  of  a  calm. 
They  shot  easily  and  gracefully  through  the 
placid  waters,  and  were  soon  on  board  the 
little  vessel  —  their  floating  home.  There 
they  found  plenty  of  dinner,  and  True  Blue, 
who  was  yet  far  from  well,  gladly  stretched 
himself  for  a  nap  on  the  deck,  in  a  shady  spot. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  179 

Sleep,  however,  would  not  come  at  his 
beckoning.  In  vain  he  wooed  the  goddess. 
She  would  not  strew  her  poppies  over  him. 
At  last  he  said  to  Frank,  who  was  also  lying 
on  deck  reading  an  illustrated  newspaper 
which  he  had  found  in  the  cabin,  "  Thomas, 
my  boy,  I  wish  you  would  go  down  into  the 
cabin,  and  bring  up  that  book  on  the  transom, 
just  opposite  my  berth. '* 

Frank  fulfilled  the  request.  "  Now,  my 
lad,"  said  True  Blue,  "  I  want  you^  to  read  the 
description  of  Nahant  which  is  there.  There's 
a  mark  in  the  book  ;  open  to  that.  You'll  like 
it,  I  know." 

So  Frank  opened  as  he  wished,  and  read 
aloud  these  words  from  the  pen  of  the  late 
Alonzo  Lewis,  the  poet  and  historian  of  Lynn : 

"  The  temperature  of  Nahant,  being  moder- 
ated by  searbreezes,  so  as  to  be  cooler  in  sum- 
mer and  milder  in  winter  than  the  mainland, 
is    regarded    as    being    highly   conducive    to 


180  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

health.  It  is  delightful  in  smnmer  to  ramble 
round  this  romantic  peninsula,  and  to  examine 
at  leisure  its  interesting  curiosities  —  to  hear 
the  waves  rippling  the  colored  pebbles  of  the 
beaches,  and  see  them  gliding  over  the  project- 
ing ledges  in  fanciful  cascades  —  to  behold  the 
plovers  and  sandpipers  running  along  the 
beaches,  the  seal  slumbering  upon  the  outer 
rocks,  the  white  gulls  soaring  overhead,  the 
porpoises  pursuing  their  rude  gambols  along 
the  shore,  and  the  curlew,  the  loon,  the  black 
duck,  and  the  coot,  the  brant,  with  his  dappled 
neck,  and  the  old-wife,  with  her  strange,  wild, 
vocal  melody,  swimming  gracefully  in  the 
coves,  and  rising  and  sinking  with  the  swell  of 
the  tide :  The  moonlight  evenings  here  are 
exceedingly  lovely ;  and  the  phosphoric  ra- 
diance of  the  billows,  on  favorable  nights, 
(making  the  waters  look  like  a  sea  of  fire), 
exhibits  a  scene  of  wonderful  beauty. 

But  however  delightful  Nahant  may  appear 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  181 

in  summer,  it  is  surpassed  by  the  grandeur 
and  sublimity  of  a  winter  storm.  When  the 
strong  east  wind  has  swept  over  the  Atlantic 
for  several  days,  and  the  billows,  wrought  up 
to  fury,  are  foaming  along  like  living  moun- 
tains—  breaking  upon  the  precipitous  cliffs  — 
dashing  into  the  rough  gorges,  —  thundering 
in  the  subten-anean  caverns  of  rocks,  and 
throwing  the  white  foam  and  spray,  like  vast 
columns  of  smoke,  hundreds  of  feet  in  the  air, 
above  the  tallest  cliffs  —  an  appearance  is  pre- 
sented which  the  wildest  imagination  cannot 
surpass.  Then  the  ocean  —  checked  in  its 
headlong  career  by  a  simple  bar  of  sand  —  as 
if  mad  with  its  detention,  roars  like  protracted 
thunder ;  and  the  wild  sea-birds,  borne  along 
by  the  furious  waters,  are  dashed  to  death 
against  the  cliffs.  Standing  at  such  an  hour 
upon  the  rocks,  I  have  seen  the  waves  bend 
bars  of  iron  an  inch  in  diameter  double,  float 
rocks  of  granite  sixteen  feet  in  length,  as  if 


182  THE    RUNAWAY  BOY. 

tliey  were  timbers  of  wood,  and  the  wind, 
seizing  the  white  gull  in  its  irresistible 
embrace,  bear  her,  shrieking,  many  miles  into 
Lynn  woods.  In  summer  a  day  at  Xahant  is 
delightful ;  and  a  storm  in  winter  is  glorious, 
but  terrible." 

"  There,  isn't  that  a  fine  description  ? " 
asked  True  Blue,  as  Frank  closed  the  book. 

"  Yes,  indeed  it  is,  and  I  shall  always  feel 
grateful  to  you  for  bringing  me  here  to  see 
and  enjoy  it  all." 

"We'll  have  one  more  trip  in  our  dory 
before  we  sleep,  I  think,  and  I'll  show  you  some 
more  of  Nahant  —  at  least  more  of  the  works 
of  man  there.  I  cannot  promise  that  they 
wiU  interest  you  as  much  as  those  works  of 
God's  hand  which  you  have  seen  to-day." 

And  True  Blue  rose  from  his  recumbent 
position.  Frank's  eyes  sparkled  assent,  and 
in  a  short  time  they  were  in  the  dory  again, 
and   pulling  away  rapidly  towards   Nahant. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  183 

Tliey  soon  landed,  and  this  time  near  the 
grounds  belonging  to  an  eccentric  individual 
who  had  erected  a  hotel,  which  he  called  the 
"  Maolis  House,"  the  name  being  the  word 
"  Siloam "  spelled  backwards.  The  grounds 
were  fancifully  laid  out,  with  pavilions,  orna- 
mented in  a  grotesque  manner,  with  paintings, 
rude  sculpture,  &c.  Some  of  these  pavilions 
contained  tables  where  picnic  parties  could 
place  their  dinners,  and  while  they  sat  eating, 
could  leisurely  behold  the  billowy  deep  stretch- 
ing out  before  them.  Not  far  from  the  pebbly 
beach  was  a  walled  enclosure  where  there  was 
water,  and  above  it  a  sign  board  declaring  it 
to  be  the  "  Pool  of  Maolis." 

"  Maolis !  Siloam !  "  exclaimed  True  Blue, 
"  doesn't  this  make  you  think  of  the  blind 
man  that  Christ  sent  to  the  pool  of  Siloam  to 
wash  and  receive  sight." 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  does." 

"  But  tell  me  do  you  enjoy  all  this  ? " 


184  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

"  Not  SO  much  as  I  enjoyed  the  ramble  aud 
scramble  this  morning." 

"  Just  so,  my  lad,  you  think,  with  the  poet, 
'  God  made  the  coimtry  and  man  made  the 
town,'  and  you  think  the  last-mentioned  some- 
thing of  a  botcher,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do.  How  silly  now,  are  these 
wooden  lions,  that  wooden  bull  chamed !  but 
then  I  like  the  garden,  and  the  swing,  and  the 
pavilions." 

"  Well,  they're  good  in  their  way,  all  of 
them,  but  give  me  Nature's  own  handiwork  — 
I  see  the  impress  of  God's  fingers  then,  and 
my  heart  is  gladdened  and  strengthened." 

They  walked  a  short  time  in  the  little 
village,  and  as  the  shadows  began  to  gather, 
returned  to  the  shore,  and  were  soon  borne  on 
the  waves,  propelled  by  rather  weary  arms,  to 
their  berths,  which  they  were  not  sorry  to 
enter,  and  where  they  soon  slept,  and  Frank 
floated  out  on  that  quiet  sea  of  slumber  in  the 
dory  of  a  dream. 


CHAPTER  Xn. 


THE  OLD  FORT. 


c/r-X3 


»HE  next  day,  True  Blue  and 
Frank  took  the  dory  and  visi- 
ted Swampscott,  and  then  went 
out  fishing  again,  and  very 
much  did  Frank  enjoy  taking 
into  the  boat  the  various  speci- 
mens of  the  finny  tribe  which 
were  lured  to  destruction  by  his  baited  hook, 
which  was  as  an  enemy  in  the  guise  of  a 
friend  —  a  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing. 

On  the  third  day  the  Clio  slipped  from  hor 
moorings,  and  her  prow  was  turned  towards 
Marblehead.     The     shoemaker's     work-bench 

185 


186  TUE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

loomed  up  before  the  fancy  of  the  boy,  but  did 
not  seem  so  attractive  as  before  these  few  days 
of  fi-eedom  and  out-door  pleasure. 

Yet  he  knew  that,  for  the  present,  there 
alone  lay  the  hope  of  earning  enough  for  his 
xlwn  sustenance,  and  that  fondly  desired 
amount  which  he  would  fain  take  home  on 
some  bright  future  day  to  his  mother  and 
sister.  Necessity  was  his  master  now,  and  he 
obeyed  with  what  grace  he  could  muster. 
The  thoughtless,  wayward  youth  was  still  the 
obstinate  runaway,  who  would  not  be  the  re- 
turning prodigal,  but  yet  he  had  sense  and 
spirit  enough  to  know  his  duty  and  to  do  it,  so 
far  as  laboring  for  the  supply  of  his  immediate 
wants  were  concerned.  He  was  soon  there- 
fore seated  on  his  bench,  and  busily  engaged 
in  the  mysteries  of  last  and  awl. 

He  had  one  especial  consolation.  True 
Blue  was  his  fellow  workman.  His  health  was 
such  that  he  was  still  unable  to  go  to  sea,  or 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  187 

engage  in  any  out-door  employments,  and  so 
he  employed  himself  in  shoe-making,  as  many 
of  the  Marblehead  fishermen  do  when  not 
away  in  the  exercise  of  their  chosen  vocation. 

Some  delightful  days  they  had,  too,  of  wan-^ 
dering  together  about  the  ancient  town,  arfft 
some  boat  excursions  —  days  which  lingered 
in  Frank's  remembrance  as  halcyon  periods  of 
unsullied  brightness. 

One  day  they  rambled  toward  the  shore. 
"  Come,  let  us  go  to  the  Fort ! "  said  True 
Blue. 

"  What  Fort  ?  "  asked  Frank. 

"  Is  it  possible  you've  floated  round  here  so 
long,  and  never  discovered  that  ?  Come  and 
see." 

So  they  went  toward  the  shore  on  the 
Northeastern  side  of  the  town.  There  they 
found  the  remains  of  earth-works,  and  small 
edifices  within,  which  had  once  been  the  place 
of  defence  for  the  harbor,  but  which  was  theu 


188  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

bereft  of  cannon,  and  had  now  a  broken-down, 
dilapidated  appearance,  which  spoke  little  in 
favor  of  its  utility  in  case  of  an  invasion. 
They  drew  near,  and  descending  the  embank- 
ment, they  reconnoitred  the  premises.  An 
old  grey-headed  woman,  tall  and  large-boued, 
came  out  and  accosted  them,  civilly  but  with 
the  air  and  manner  of  an  empress,  informing 
them,  in  inimitable  tones  of  self-appreciation, 
that  she  was  the  "  United  States  Agent "  and 
had  cliarge  of  the  place.  The  unofficial  char- 
acter of  her  attire  and  general  appearance  con- 
trasted ludicrously  with  her  grandiloquent 
speech,  and  woke  a  smile  on  the  faces  of  her 
auditors,  which  blossomed  afterward,  when  out 
of  her  sight,  into  a  merry  laugh.  But  they 
did  not,  of  course,  treat  her  disrespectfully. 
She  was  undoubtedly  a  worthy  woman.  Her 
father  was  formerly  in  charge  of  the  little 
Government  property  on  that  rocky  highland, 
and  the  place  with  its  small  salary  had  been 


THE   RUNAWAY  BOY.  189 

continued  to  his  daughter.  After  obtaining  a 
draught  of  excellent  water,  they  bowed  her  a 
"  good  morning "  and  ascended  the  embank- 
ment again.  They  lay  down  on  the  green  and 
sloping  bank.  Below  them  were  the  dark 
rocks,  frowning  grimly  -over  the  dashing  Ijil- 
lows  at  their  feet.  Far  away  stretched  the 
blue  and  rolling  deep.  Dotting  its  broad 
bosom  were  islands  some  with  verdant  slopes, 
and  others  dark  with  seamed  and  fissured 
rocks. 

"  What  island  is  that  ?  "  asked  Frank,  point- 
ing to  one  which  seemed  comparatively  near. 

"  That  is  Lowell  Island,"  answered  True 
Blue,  "  and  that  large  white  building  is  the 
hotel." 

"  And  what  one  is  that  which  seems  also  to 
have  buildings  on  it  ? "  One  of  them  looks 
like  a  lighthouse." 

"  There  are  two  lighthouses.  It  is  Baker's 
Island.     That's  a  light  the  fishermen  welcome 


190  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

Oil  their  returning  voyage,  I  can  tell  you. 
But,  my  boy,  you  must  go  out  fishing  with  me 
next  Spring,  if  I  get  well  enough.  Say,  will 
you?" 

"  Yes,  I  wiU."  I 

"  Your  mother  will  like  it  ?  " 

'^  I  think  she  will  not  object."  Of  course 
she  would  not,  for  what  would  she  know  about 
it? 

"  Wlien  did  you  hear  from  her  last  ?  " 

"  Last  week,  sir." 

"  Was  she  well,  and  your  sister  ?  " 

"  Yes  sir." 

True  Blue  judged,  fi'om  the  monosyllabic 
character  of  his  replies,  that  Frank  did  not 
care  to  tell  him  more,  and  was  therefore  silent 
on  the  subject. 

Soon  after  they  continued  their  ramble. 
Over,  far  over,  in  another  direction  they  came 
to  an  ancient  graveyard.  It  was  on  the  brow 
of  a  breezy  emmence,  and  was  a  rather  rough 
and  rocky  place  for  a  cemetery. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  191 

"  How  came  they  to  bury  the  dead  here,  in 
such  a  place  ?  "  exclaimed  Frank. 

"  ^Miy,  the  church  stood  here,  perched  on 
the  highest  point  of  land.  Right  there  on 
that  rock,  in  tliis  bare,  bleak,  exposed  place ; 
real  Puritan  style.  I  suppose  they  wanted  a 
place  where  they  could  see  the  Indians  before 
they  reached  them,  and  being  on  higher 
gi-ound  have  the  advantage  of  them." 

"So  they  buried  the  dead  here  because 
being  near  the  church  it  was  consecrated 
ground  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  here  they  worshipped  with  their 
guns  ready  to  fight  if  the  Indians  came,  and 
one  man  always  on  the  watch." 

"  I'm  glad  we  don't  live  in  such  times." 

"  Wliy,  as  to  that,  if  you  were  down  South, 
you'd  think  you  were  living  in  such  times,  I  can 
tell  you.  War  is  war,  and  it's  bloody  work 
anywhere.  I  shall  be  glad  for  one  when  this 
war  is  over.     But  if  my  health  returns,  I 


192  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

mean  to  serve  my  country  in  it  once  again,  if 

I  get  my  death-wound." 

"  Bravo !   True   Blue !     I   wish  I  could  go 

with  you." 

"  I  guess  we  will  go  —  down  home,  for  it's 
about  time.  But  come  here  a  minute,  I'll 
show  you  something  funny." 

So  True  Blue  led  Frank  to  a  tombstone 
somewhat  discolored  with  age,  whereon  was 
inscribed  the  name  of  a  lady,  whom  True  Blue 
declared  to  be  one  of  that  too  much  despised 
sisterhood  —  "old  maids,"  —  and  bade  him 
read  what  the  ancient  spinster  had  herself 
directed  to  be  carved  on  her  gravestone. 
Frank  read  — 

"  An  honest  man 's  the  noblest  work  of  God, ' 

and  then  burst  into  a  loud  laugh  at  the  incon- 
gruity of  the  epitaph. 

Slowly  they  sauntered  homeward.  True 
Blue  was  boarding,  for  the  time,  with  the 
Bartlett's    so   they  went    together.     Mention 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  193 

was  made  of  the  places  they  had  visited,  and 
then  ^Irs.  Bartlett  spoke  of  some  lines  which 
she  had  preserved,  that  described  Marblehead 
and  the  fort,  which  she  read,  at  the  request  of 
True  Blue  and  Frank.  * 

When  Mrs.  Bartlett  ceased  reading,  her 
husband  desired  her  to  sing  a  popular  song 
penned  by  Mrs.  Caroline  A.  Mason. 

"  Do  they  miss  me  at  home,  do  they  miss  me  ? 

'  Twould  be  an  assurance  most  dear 
To  know  at  this  moment  some  loved  one 

Was  saying,  '  Oh,  were  she  but  here." 
To  know  that  the  group  at  the  fireside 

Were  thinking  of  me  as  I  roam,  — 
Oh,  yes  !  '  twould  be  joy  beyond  measure, 

To  know  that  they  miss  me  at  home  I 

When  twilight  approaches,  the  season 

That  ever  was  sacred  to  Song, 
Does  some  one  repeat  my  name  over, 

And  sigh  that  I  taiTy  so  long  ? 
And  is  there  a  chord  in  the  music 

That's  missed  when  my  voice  is  away  ? 
And  a  chord  in  each  heart  that  awaketh 

Regret  at  my  wearisome  stay  ? 

Do  they  place  me  a  chair  near  the  table 
When  evening's  home  pleasures  are  nigh. 


194  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

And  candles  are  lit  in  the  parlor, 

And  stars  in  the  calm,  azure  sky  ? 
And  when  the  good  nights  are  repeated, 

Does  each  the  dear  memory  keep, 
And  think  of  the  absent,  and  waft  mo 

A  whispered  '  Good  night '  ere  they  sleep  ? 

Do  they  miss  me  at  home,  do  they  miss  me, 

At  morning,  at  noon,  and  at  night  ?  — 
And  lingers  one  gloomy  shade  round  them 

That  only  my  presence  can  light,  — 
Are  joys  less  invitingly  welcomed. 

And  pleasures  less  dear  than  before, 
Because  one  is  missed  from  the  circle,  — 

Because  I  am  with  them  no  more  ? 

Oh,  yes  —  they  do  miss  me  —  kind  voices 

Are  calling  me  back  as  I  roam, 
And  eyes  have  grown  weary  with  weeping, 

And  watch  but  to  welcome  me  home  ! 
Sweet  friends,  ye  shall  wait  me  no  longer  — 

No  longer  I'll  linger  behind  — 
For  how  can  I  tarry  while  followed 

By  watchings  and  pleadings  so  kind  ? " 

Tears  stood  in  every  eye,  as  the  melody 
ceased,  and  that  silence,  which  is  the  sweetest 
applause,  followed  the  gush  of  song,  till  sud- 
denly all  were  startled,  as  with  a  wild  out-burst 
of    emotion,    that    would   not   be    restramed, 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  195 

Frank  rushed  from  the  room.  All  at  once 
comprehended  the  cause,  or,  at  least,  thought 
they  did.  The  song  had  broken  up  the  foun- 
tains of  that  great  deep  in  his  heart  whoso 
waters  covered  the  love  of  home  and  mother 
and  sister,  and  he  had  gone  by  himself  to 
weep  over  their  separation.  But  they  knew 
not  all.  They  dreamed  not  of  the  stormy, 
wrathful  waves  of  sorrowful  and  remorseful 
feeling  that  swept  with  terror  and  sadness  over 
the  runaway's  soul,  but  they  wisely  left  him 
to  himself,  and  he  was  seen  no  more  among: 
them  that  night.  It  was  long  ere  he  slept 
upon  his  tear-wet  pillow,  and  when  he  did, 
strange  visions  were  his  portion.  In  his 
dreams  he  stood  upon  the  old  fort,  saw  it  gar- 
risoned and  furnished,  heard  the  loud  voices 
of  contending  foemen,  and  the  deep  baying  of 
the  cannon's  mouth,  and  saw  the  flash  of 
sword  and  musketry.  He  felt  the  sharp,  glit- 
tering bayonet  pierce  liis  head,  and  then  came 


196  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

his  gentle  mother  with  her  soothing  touch  and 
welcome  words.  He  felt  like  one  who  has 
been  out  amid  storm  and  tempest,  and  finally 
found  himself  moored  safely  in  quiet  waters. 
But  he  awoke,  and  lo !  it  was  all  a  dream,  and 
again  the  runaway  wept  bitterly. 

The  next  morning  he  came  to  the  family 
room  with  a  pale  and  saddened  face,  and  when 
he  asked  Mrs.  Bartlett  for  the  pen  and  ink,  she 
rightly  concluded  that  he  intended  writing  to 
his  mother,  and  with  a  kind,  "  That's  right, 
Thomas,  write  her  a  good  long  letter.  You'll 
feel  better  for  it,"  she  gave  him  the  writing 
materials. 

True  Blue  had  invited  Frank  to  go  to  Bos- 
ton with  him  in  a  day  or  two,  and  he  wrote 
the  letter  that  he  might  drop  it  in  the  Post 
Office  there.  Again  he  told  his  mother  that 
the  postmark  would  afford  her  no  clue  to  his 
hiding-place,  and  again  his  heart  smote  him 
for  thus  prolonging  her  pain.     But  he  could 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  197 

not  make  her  suffer  by  his  wrong  doing, 
without  suffering  also  himself,  for  the  sinner, 
liis  sin,  and  its  results  are  like  the  three  sides 
of  a  triangle,  inseparably  connected.  The  eye 
of  God  is  on  the  sinner.  He  cannot  escape 
the  consequences  of  God's  violated  law.  But 
God's  eye  is  one  of  pity  and  love  as  well  as 
justice.  "  He  would  have  all  to  repent." 
Frank  needed  to  feel  that  to  be  true. 


CHAPTER  Xm. 

"  HIGH  HOOK  !  " 


>IXTER  came,  and  with  it 
much  discomfort  for  Frank. 
He  was  not  accustomed  to  a 
Northern  winter,  with  its  ice 
and  snow.  He  had  seen 
snow  but  rarely  in  Washing- 
QJ  ton,  and  to  have  it  on  the 

ground  day  after  day,  and  week  after  week, 
was  not  only  a  novelty  to  him,  but  to  his 
Southern  constitution  an  indeskable  one.  Be- 
sides he  was  not  as  well  prepared  for  a  North- 
ern winter  as  he  would  have  been  had  his  kind 
mother  been  near  to  think  of  and  prepare  the 

198 


THE  KUNAWAY   BOY.  199 

nice,  warm  woolen  stockings,  the  flannel  shirts, 
the  overcoats,  &c.  —  Mrs.  Bartlctt,  however, 
was  very  kind  to  him,  and  manifested  a  moth- 
erly interest  in  all  that  concerned  his  welfare. 
It  is  not  often  —  in  fact,  it  is  rarely  the  case  — 
that  a  runaway  boy  finds  so  good  a  home  and 
such  kind  friends  to  compensate  for  those 
which  he  has  left.  Generally  such  a  boy 
would  go  from  bad  to  worse,  plunging  deeper 
and  deeper  into  sin  and  misery.  God  —  per- 
haps for  his  good  mother's  sake  —  certainly 
out  of  His  infinite  mercy  and  love,  shielded 
Frank  from  many  evils,  and  thus  he  did  not 
stray  so  far  into  vice  and  crime  as  he  would 
otherwise  have  done. 

But  lest  any  wayward  boy  should  think  he 
might  run  away  from  home,  and  find  good 
friends  as  Frank  did,  and  be  thus,  himself, 
comparatively  happy,  or,  at  least,  comfortable, 
it  must  also  be  stated  that  Frank  was  far  from 
happy.     Many   times   he   was   very  unhappy. 


200  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

Conscience  did  not  slumber,  and  often  when 
he  was  having  what  most  bojs  would  call  "  a 
gay  time,"  with  merry  young  companions,  or 
out  amid  the  loveliness  of  Nature  with  his 
dear  friend  True  Blue,  conscience  would  keep 
whispering  to  him  of  the  Past,  of  his  great  sin 
against  his  mother  —  the  great  error  of  his 
young  life.  He  carried  always  about  with 
him  an  aching  heart,  and  one  burdened,  too, 
with  a  secret  he  was  ever  fearing  would  be 
revealed.  Besides,  as  before  remarked,  he 
could  not  be  as  brave  and  manly  in  his  feel- 
ings as  a  boy  ought  to  be,  for  he  knew  he  was 
"  sailing  under  false  colors,"  by  bearing  an 
assumed  name,  and  that  kind  of  "  sailing  "  he 
knew  that  such  honest  men  as  True  Blue 
despised. 

But,  oftentimes  sad  and  weary,  often  cold 
and  lonely,  he  finally  got  through  the  winter. 
Spring  came  and  brought  health  enough  for 
True  Blue  to  think  of  voyaging  once  more. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  201 

"  Come,  Frank,  are  jou  all  ready  ?  How 
soon  can  you  get  your  fitting  out  ?  My  duds 
are  all  packed,  and  I'm  off  next  week.  You 
said  you'd  go  too,  and  there's  just  a  berth  for 
you  in  the  schooner." 

Frank  understood  the  speaker,  and  cheer- 
fully answered,  "  I  think  I  can  be  ready.  True 
Blue.  Mr.  Bartlett  said  he  thought  you  would 
be  after  me  this  week,  and  I'm  partly  ready 
now.  Mrs.  Bartlett  has  been  helping  me,  and 
Mr.  Bartlett  has  given  me  lots  of  things  that  I 
needed." 

"  They  are  good  people,  Thomas.  They're 
what  I  call  Christians.  They  use  the  Bible 
for  their  chart  all  the  week,  as  well  as 
Sundays." 

"  They  have  made  me  respect  religion,  and 
I  wish  I  could  grow  up  to  be  such  a  man  as 
Mr.  Bartlett." 

"  He's  a  true  man,  and  none  the  less  for 
not  being  a  rich  one.  There's  not  a  particle 
of  deceit  about  him." 


202  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

Frank  quailed  at  this  remark.  He  was  thus 
continually  reminded  of  his  duplicity.  True 
Blue  continued,  after  a  pause,  "But  we  must 
hurry  Frank.  We  want  to  be  off  in  good 
season  so  as  to  be  sure  and  wet  all  our  salt, 
and  come  back  with  a  good  fare.  I  hope 
jon'llhQ'highhookr' 

"What's  that?  'High  hook!'  I  never 
heard  of  that  before." 

"  Oh,  the  one  that  catches  the  most  fish  is 
called  high  hook." 

"  I  wish  I  could  be,  but  I'm  sure  you'll  beat 
me  all  hollow." 

They  parted  to  prepare,  and  did  not  meet 
again  till  ready  to  start  for  the  fisher's  Banks, 

Away  out  on  the  coast  of  Newfoundland  are 
vast  tracts  of  shoal  water  where  fishes  congre- 
gate. These  are  called  the  "  Banks,"  and 
thither  fishing  crafts  from  every  port,  and  of 
every  size,  repair.  Most  of  the  vessels  are 
schooners.     All  of  them  carry  dories — one  for 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  203 

each  man — except  the  man  who  stays  on 
board  the  vessel  to  "keep"  it.  He  fishes  from 
the  tatfrail.  Often  great  seines  are  used  to 
catch  the  fishes  as  in  the  Saviour's  time  on  the 
lake  of  Tiberias.  i 

True  Blue  was  usually  skipper  himself,  but 
this  time  he  prefered  to  go  as  one  of  the  crew, 
since  his  health  was  such  that  he  desired  no 
responsibility,  and  wished  to  be  at  liberty  to 
work  or  rest  as  he  felt  able  to  do.  They  got 
well  started  on  their  voyage,  when,  one  morn- 
ing, just  as  Frank  was  going  up  on  deck,  he 
heard  a  great  noise  and  commotion;  loud 
shouting  of  "  hard  down  your  helm !  "  "  Keep 
away  two  points ! ''  "  Look  out !  we  shall  be 
afoul !  "  He  hurried  on  deck,  and  soon  saw 
what  was  the  trouble.  A  dense  fog  had  settled 
down  upon  the  ocean  during  the  night,  which 
the  rising  sun  had  scarcely  penetrated.  He 
coidd  see  dimly  tlu-ough  the  mist,  the  dusky 
forms  of  other  vessels,  not  very  far  away,  but 


204  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

apparently  not  likely  to  come  in  contact  with 
their  schooner.  Bat,  right  ahead,  bearing 
directly  down  upon  them,  with  her  bell  ring- 
ing, and  her  shrill  whistle  screaming  loudly, 
was  a  steamer,  looming  up  through  the  fog 
into  gigantic  proportions.  Her  warning  noises 
had  been  heard,  but  it  was  rather  difficult  to 
tell,  till  they  could  see  her,  which  way  they 
should  steer  to  keep  out  of  her  path.  On  she 
came.  Like  the  car  of  Juggernaut  she  might 
crush  them  beneath  her  mighty  keel,  and  send 
each  human  occupant  of  the  smaller  craft  to  a 
watery  grave.  The  danger  was  imminent. 
All  saw  it.     All  felt  it. 

But  the  Captain,  who  was  on  deck,  was  as 
cool  as  an  iceberg.  He  had  faced  danger  on 
the  deep  before.  Quietly  he  watched  the  on 
coming  of  the  mighty  giant  of  the  seas,  as  the 
steamer  appeared,  and  amid  the  loud  cries  of 
men,  who  in  their  fright,  gave  orders  which  he 
only  should  have  given,  he  seized  the  helm 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  205 

himself,  and  safely  steered  the  vessel,  so  that 
she  was  soon  out  of  the  path  of  the  steamer, 
which  ploughed  her  way  through  the  parting 
billows  with  a  force  and  energy  which  gave 
one  an  idea  of  almost  superhuman  power,  for 
she 

"  Walked  the  waters  as  a  thing  of  life.'* 

Frank  was  forced  to  acknowledge,  to  himself, 
that  he  had  been  frightened,  when  the  cold 
dew  stood  on  his  forehead  after  the  danger 
was  over,  while  True  Blue  quietly  said,  "  I'm 
glad  Captain  Ronndy  was  so  cool,  for  we  might 
otherwise  have  been  in  eternity  before  this. 
God  has  preserved  us  through  him." 

Frank  felt  that  he  was  hardly  ready  to  go 
from  this  world,  and  when  he  shortly  after- 
ward wrote  a  letter  to  his  mother,  wliich  he 
mailed  in  one  of  the  little  ports  where  the 
fishermen  sometimes  stop,  he  tuld  her  of  the 
new  danger  on  the  deep  he  had  encountered, 


206  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

adding,  "  I  am  glad  I  am  spared,  dear  mother, 
for  I  do  not  want  to  die  till  I  have  seen  you 
and  my  sister,  and  heard  you  say  that  you 
have  forgiven  your  misguided  son.  I  only 
stay  away  from  you  now,  that  I  may  have 
more  money  to  take  to  you.  I  am  hoping  to 
earn  much  this  trip,  for  I  am  partly  a  cook, 
and  partly  a  fisherman.  Usually,  boys  like 
me  have  to  go  only  as  cook.  True  Blue  got 
me  a  better  place." 

After  Frank  sent  this  letter  he  remembered 
that  he  had,  as  once  before,  thoughtlessly, 
written  the  name  by  which  he  called  his  good 
friend  in  it,  and  it  annoyed  him  a  little,  at 
first,  but  then  he  thought  as  it  was  not  his 
real  name,  no  one  could  trace  him  by  that. 
He  little  knew  that  it  was  to  form  one  link  in 
the  chain  which  was  to  lead  him  to  better  days. 

Heavy  fogs  frequently  enveloped  the  schoon- 
er on  her  voyage,  but  sometimes  they  had 
clear  and  beautiful  weather  for  days  together. 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  207 

On  the  morning  after  their  arrival  at  the  little 
port  where  Frank  mailed  his  letter,  they  essay- 
ed to  depart,  and  again  had  a  narrow  escape. 
Frank  was  below  "  making  up  "  the  berths, 
which  was  a  part  of  his  duty,  when  he  heard 
the  Captain's  voice  in  a  loud,  sharp  tone, 
"  Hard  a  lee ! "  He  ran  up  the  gangway. 
The  wind  had  changed  while  the  vessel  was 
working  her  way  out  of  the  harbor.  There 
was  a  low,  narrow  point  of  land  which  they 
wished  to  pass. 

"  One  more  short  tack,  and  we'll  fetch  by  !  " 
exclaimed  the  man  at  the  helm. 

The  vessel  obeyed  the  helm,  the  sails  were 
changed  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  soon 
the  land  which  was  so  dangerously  near,  and 
on  which  the  waves  broke  in  long  lines  of 
white  surf,  was  far  behind  them. 

The  days  of  fishing  were  somewhat  monoto- 
nous to  Frank,  and  not  a  little  wearisome. 
From  early  morning  till  late   at  night,  they 


208  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

were  hauling  in  the  noble  cod-fish,  and  though 
tired  and  lame,  spent  many  of  the  evening 
hours  in  dressing  and  salting  their  fares. 
Great  was  the  effort  made  by  all  on  board  to 
be  "high  hook."  During  the  voyage  there 
were  several  days  when  Frank  was  "  high 
hook,"  but  usually  more  experienced  fisher- 
men gained  the  honorable  title,  and  one  of 
them,  having  caught  the  largest  number  of 
all  —  they  all  kept  "  tally  "  as  they  call  it  — 
carried  home  the  desirable  title  of  honor  — 
"  high  hook  I  " 

Frank  was  not  a  little  surprised,  one  day,  at 
seeing  a  rush  made  to  the  side  of  the  vessel, 
by  the  men,  when  some  one  had  called  out, 
"Squid,  0!" 

The  squid,  or  cuttle  fish,  is  a  peculiar  speci- 
menv  of  -the*  piscatory  tribe.  Long  feelers 
proceed  from  his  head,  and  as  he  is  not  formi- 
dable with  teeth,  or  in  any  way,  he  is  provided 
with  a  sort  of  sack  of  inky  liquid  with  which 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  209 

it  darkens  the  water  when  it  is  pursued,  and 
in  the  covert  of  that  blackness,  darts  back  out 
of  the  reach  of  his  enemy. 

The  squid  is  very  desirable  for  bait,  and 
hence  the  eagerness  of  the  fishermen  to  secure 
them.  They  arc  very  voracious,  and  will  bite 
at  the  bare  hook,  so  they  are  easily  caught. 
Sometimes,  they  are  eaten,  but  they  are  not 
generally  used  for  food. 

"  There  she  blows  !  "  was  another  loud  and 
inspiring  exclamation,  which  Frank  heard  just 
as  he  was  setting  the  table  for  dinner.  He 
had  been  told  its  signification,  and  he  gladly 
rushed  out  to  see  the  novel  sight. 

"  Where  away  ?  "  asked  he  in  true  sailor 
phrase. 

"  On  the  weather  bow !  "  answered  True 
Blue.  And  there,  sure  enough,  were  the 
whales  Frank  had  been  longing  to  see.  They 
were  spouting  in  evident  satisfaction,  and  their 
dark  forms  were  plainly  to  be  seen  tumbling 
about  among  the  waves. 


210  THE    RUNAWAY   BOY. 

"  I  tell  you  there's  fish  there,"  said  True 
Blue,  "  always  other  fish  where  you  see 
whales." 

They  steered  toward  the  school  of  whales, 
and  at  last  anchored  near  the  spot.  Fishing 
lines  were  soon  in  use,  and  the  "  large  haul " 
which  was  anticipated  was  secured. 

"I'd  like  to  go  a  whaling,"  said  Frank  to 
True  Blue. 

"  It's  dangerous  business,  and  no  easy  task. 
If  there's  a  brave  set  of  fellows  in  the  world, 
it's  those  sailors  that  have  harpooned  the 
mighty  whale  from  Juan-Fernandez  to  the 
Arctic  Ocean,  and  have  not  faltered  even  when 
to  the  usual  danger  of  attacking  this  powerful 
animal,  is  added  the  icy  perils  of  the  Arctic 
seas." 

Frank  bowed  his  head  in  assent.  He  felt 
that  True  Blue  must  be  right. 


CHAPTER  XIV, 


OCEAN    SCENES. 

f^  OW  I  'm  not  sea-sick,  I  like  to  be 
on  the  sea,  and  if  I  could  be 
sure  of  getting  back  safe  from 
some  of  those  foreign  lands,  I'd 
like  to  enter  the  merchant  ser- 
vice, and  go  up  the  Straits,  or 
to  Canton,"  said  Frank. 
"  How  would  you  like  the  Navy  ?  "  asked 
True  Blue.  "  '\ 

"  Not  quite  as  well,  I  must  confess,  for  at 
the  present  time  our  navy  must  stay  round 
home,  and  I  want  to  see  foreign  lands." 

'-  But  you  are  not  afraid  to  go  in  the  Navy, 

211 


212  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

thinking  of  that  shot  from  a  battery  which 
might  strike  your  magazine,  and  send  the  crew 
to  Davy  Jones'  locker  in  a  moment." 

"  Not  exactly  afraid,  True  Blue,  but  1  don't 
want  my  life  shortened  just  yet.  I  hope  I 
should  be  faithful  to  my  country  if  she  should 
call  me  to  serve  her  in  the  army  or  navy." 

You  hope  you  should?  Well,  Thomas,  I 
like  to  hear  you  speak  thus  modestly.  Boast- 
ing becomes  no  one  except  the  tried  who  were 
not  found  wanting,  and  they  are  the  ones  least 
likely  to  boast.  But  do  you  see  that  cloud 
over  there.  We  shall  have  a  squall,  I  fear. 
I'll  call  the  Captain." 

So  saying.  True  Blue  vanished  down  the 
gangway.  Frank  looked  at  the  approaching 
cloud.  So  rapi(My  did  it  advance,  that  it 
seemed  indeed  borne  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind.  Dark,  heavy  and  portentous  was  its  ap- 
pearance. Fold  upon  fold  of  its  sombre  mantle 
did  it   stretch  over   the  heavens,  and  by  the 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  213 

time  the  Captain,  roused  by  True  Blue,  had 
given  in  loud  and  rapid  voice  his  orders  to 
"  take  in  sail !  "  and  "  wear  ship !  "  and  they 
had  been  obeyed,  the  storm  in  all  its  fury  was 
upon  them.  The  forked  lightning  darted 
almost  incessantly  from  the  wild,  impending 
cloud,  the  deep-toned  thunder  roared  and 
rolled  continuously,  the  wind  blew  with  terrific 
violence,  and  the  dark  waves  were  lashed  into 
the  wildest  commotion,  their  ridgy  tops,  white 
with  foam,  and  rising  and  falling  on  the  fierce 
rushing  billows,  the  schooner  seemed  momen- 
tarily in  danger  of  submersion.  Frank  felt 
the  hour  to  be  one  of  deepest  peril.  Once 
more  he  knew  that  he  stood  face  to  face  with 
death.  And  once  more  he  felt  that  the  hand 
of  a  merciful  God  had  turned  away  the  unerr- 
ing shaft,  as  after  a  season  of  suspense  and 
almost  of  dismay,  the  thunder  ceased,  the 
wind  lulled,  the  storm-cloud  passed  on,  the 
heavy  rain-drops   gave  place   to   gentle   mist, 


214  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

and  only  the  wild  waves  still  madly  chasing 
each  other,  remained  to  tell  the  tale  of  the 
sudden  and  terrible  storm. 

Not  so  !  There  was  one  other  trace  of  the 
destruction  which  was  in  the  path  of  the 
Storm  King.  OiT  on  their  starboard  bow  was 
a  dark  object.  All  eyes  were  turned  toward 
it.  Spyglasses  were  brought  into  requisition, 
and  finally,  as  conjecture  ripened  to  certainty, 
the  prow  of  the  schooner  was  turned  in  that 
direction,  and  with  heavy  hearts  and  anxious 
forebodings  they  sailed  on  to  reach  it.  Every 
heart  was  sad.  The  older  men  feared  some  of 
their  own  shipmates  or  townsmen  had  found  a 
watery  grave,  and  Frank's  heart  throbbed  in 
sympathy  with  the  rest.  They  neared  the 
dark  object.  It  was  the  hull  of  a  vessel,  alas ! 
she  was  bottom  upwards. 

"  That  squall  struck  her  !  "  said  the  Captain 
to  True  Blue.     The  latter  nodded. 

"  There  couldn't  have  been  many  lives  lost, 
she's  so  small  a  craft." 


IHE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  215 

"Thank  God  for  that!  There'll  be  less 
sorrow  in  the  fisherman's  homes.  Oh, 
Thomas,  what  a  life  the  sailor  leads  !  so  full  of 
danger !  And  what  a  life  his  family  leads ! 
Full  of  vain  regrets  and  anxious  forebodings !  " 

"  Are  fishing  vessels  often  lost  ?  " 

"  Often,  very  often  !  Not  a  season  passes 
but  some  gallant  craft,  and  often  many  vessels, 
are  wrecked  on  the  rocky  coasts  or  sand  bars, 
or  founder  in  a  storm  at  sea.'* 

Meanwhile,  as  they  drew  nearer  and  nearer, 
the  up-turned  vessel  seemed  slowly  settling, 
and  one  side  seemed  gradually  to  get  lower 
than  the  other. 

"  She's  getting  water  soaked,"  exclaimed 
True  Blue,  "  or  else  the  air  is  escaping.  I 
believe  she'll  sink  before  we  get  near  enough 
to  see  her  name.  I  can't  quite  make  it  out 
with  my  glass.  The  words  are  long  enough 
to  spell  Marblehead  or  Gloucester." 

Even  as   he  spoke   the   vessel  half-righted. 


216  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

then  slowly  sunk  with  a  loud,  bubbling  sound, 
as  she  disappeared  beneath  the  turbulent 
billows. 

"  There !  that's  the  last  we  shall  ever  know 
of  her  or  her  brave  fellows.  I  pity  their  wives 
and  children  that  will  only  know  their  father's 
was  a  missing  vessel,^^  and  tears  stood  in  True 
Blue's  eyes,  as  he  turned  to  the  Captain,  and 
said,  "  I  think,  skipper,  we  ought  to  thank 
God  for  our  deliverance." 

"  Do  so,  my  man,  I'm  willing.  All  hands 
aft!" 

All  came  to  the  side  of  the  captain,  and  in 
a  voice  broken  with  emotion,  and  words  simple 
and  direct  as  his  own  straight  forward  nature, 
True  Blue  gave  thanks  to  God  for  their  late 
deliverance  from  imminent  peril,  kneeling 
himself  upon  the  deck,  while  all  stood  with 
uncovered  heads  beside  him,  and  Frank  held 
the  tarpaulin  of  his  friend  in  his  hand.  The 
scene  was  one  which  impressed  itself  upon  the 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOT.  217 

mind  of  the  youth.  He  could  never  forget  it, 
often  afterward  the  memory  of  it  awoke 
thoughts  of  reverent  gratitude  to  Him  "  who 
holds  the  winds  in  His  fist  and  the  waters  in 
the  hollow  of  His  hand." 

Many  curious  sights  and  customs  did  Frank 
observe  during  this  short  "  life  on  the  ocean 
wave."  Among  others  he  was  quite  amused 
once  when  on  board  a  mackerel  schooner  to 
see  the  crew  prepare  a  lure  for  the  fishes,  by 
grinding  up  their  bait  small  in  a  bait-mill. 
The  latter  consists  of  an  oblong  wooden  box, 
containing  a  roller  upon  which  knives  are 
fixed,  and  which  is  turned  by  a  crank.  Poor 
fish  of  any  kind,  especially  hardheads,  are  cut 
up  by  it,  and  thrown  overboard  by  pailfuls  to 
attract  the  mackerel,  which  are  then  caught 
in  large  numbers,  with  great  rapidity. 

Frank  enjoyed  his  sea-life  exceedingly  for 
one  who  had  been  on  the  land  all  his  life,  till 
he  ran  away.     But  the  truth  was,  he  was  sel- 


218  THE   RUNAWAY  BOY. 

dom  sea-sick,  never,  except  when  just  after 
starting  from  port,  or  in  very  rough  weather, 
and  not  always  then.  He  was  wide  awake  to 
ocean  sights,  and  found  pleasure  in  watching 
the  gambols  of  the  whales  and  porpoises  in 
the  water,  and  the  hovering  Mother  Gary's 
chickens  that  were  to  be  seen  in  the  air,  or 
snatching  any  refuse  matter  from  the  waves  to 
which  it  had  been  thrown.  He  liked  to  go  on 
deck  in  the  early  morning  and  watch  the 
coming  of  the  King  of  day,  as  his  dawning 
light  first  revealed  the  far-stretching  ocean 
and  the  vessels  that  dotted  its  surface  near 
and  far,  and  then  its  rosy  beams  tinging  the 
waters  and  bidding  them  sparkle  in  effulgent 
beauty.  He  loved  no  less  to  witness  the  glory 
of  the  dying  day,  the  calm,  bright  loveliness 
of  the  sunset  hour,  and  the  impressive  twi- 
light season  when  the  broad  heavens  with  its 
extended  horizon,  began  to  reveal  the  wonders 
of  creation  by  its  shimmering  stars  gleaming 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  219 

in  the  skies,  and  reflected  by  the  ocean  mirror, 
that  stretched  out  in  boundless  grandeur 
below.  And  often  during  his  watch  at  night 
did  he  pace  the  deck  absorbed  in  the  contem- 
plation of  the  glowing  skies  that  showed  to 
him  so  many  mighty  suns  and  systems  moving 
in  changeless  orbits,  to  the  perfect  music  of 
divine  harmony,  and  awoke  the  remembrance 
of  other  days,  when  with  his  sister,  he  studied 
Astronomy  in  that  far-off  home  he  might  never 
see  again.  Then  was  his  heart  sad.  Then 
was  it  heavy,  weighed  down  with  the  thought 
of  his  great  sin. 

They  reached  Cape  Ann  in  due  season, 
made  Baker's  Island  light  with  great  satisfac- 
tion, and  one  glorious  moonlight  evening 
rounded  the  rocky  highland  and  entered  the 
harbor  of  Marblehead. 

Frank's  portion  of  the  good  "  catch  "  they 
had  made  proved  to  be  no  inconsiderable  sum, 
of  which  he   enclosed   twenty  dollars   to   his 


220  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

mother,  mailing  his  letter  in  Salem,  but  tell- 
ing her  he  did  not  live  there. 

Oh,  if  he  could  but  have  seen  her  tear-wet 
face,  as  she  said,  "  I  would  rather  see  my  lost 
boy  than  all  the  money  in  New  England !  " 


CHAPTER  XV. 


TRUE  BLUE  IN  THE  ARMY. 

RUE  BLUE'S  health  was  cer- 
tainly better.  He  now  desired 
to  be  engaged  in  the  service  of 
liis  beloved  country.  His  first 
thought  was  to  enter  the  Navy, 
but  as  a  large  bounty  was 
offered  to  those  who  entered 
the  army,  and  he  desired  to  secure  that  sum 
of  money  that  a  dear  sister,  an  orphan  like 
himself,  might  receive  from  it  some  benefit  in 
the  event  of  his  death  on  the  battlefield  or 
hospital,  he  enlisted  again  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac. 

221 


222  THE   RUNAWAY  BOY. 

He  had  some  misgivings  about  his  health, 
lest  he  should  not  pass  a  surgical  examination, 
but  he  was  successful,  and  finally  enrolled 
and  equipped  as  a  Sergeant  in  a  company  just 
formed  in  his  native  town.  His  previous 
acquaintance  with  military  life,  though  brief, 
was  enough  to  give  him  place  as  an  officer 
among  those  who  now  came  to  fill  up  the 
ranks. 

He  had  many  friends  among  his  town's  peo- 
ple, and  they  testified  in  various  ways,  their 
good  wishes  for  his  welfare  during  absence, 
and  his  safe  return.  The  eminently  social 
nature  of  the  Marblehead  people  overflowed 
towards  him,  and  one  evening  he  was  made 
the  centre  of  a  gathered  circle  of  friends  who 
presented  him  with  a  silver-mounted  pistol, 
and  in  various  ways  strove  to  assure  him  of 
their  sympathy.  One  of  the  company  sang  in 
soul-inspiring  strains,  a  battle-song  which  was 
written  by  a  brother  of  the  lady  wlio  wrot^c 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  223 

"  Do  they  miss  me  at  home  ?  " 

and  was  dedicated  to  the  Marblehead  volun- 
teers.    Its  stirring  words  were  as  follows : 

"  When  the  land  of  our  Fathers  was  shrouded  in  night, 

And  Hope  in  the  spirit  burned  feeble  and  low, 
Young  Freedom  came  down  from  her  wild  mountain  height 

And  stalked  through  the  ranks  of  the  Foe. 
Her  banner  was  blazoned  by  Irophies  whose  worth 

"Was  wrought  by  her  blood-A^Titten  story  ; 
And  the  thrill  of  her  presence  and  rapture  gave  birth 

To  a  Nation's  uprising  in  glory  ! 

Her  brow  was  as  pure  as  her  own  mountain  snow. 

Her  wild  earnest  eyes  had  a  gleaming  of  steel  ; 
And  the  heave  of  her  breast  and  her  tresses'  bright  flow, 

The  young  Child  of  Freedom  reveal. 
Oh  !  proudly  she  gazed  where  the  gleam  of  their  camps 

Showed  the  strength  that  her  foemen  could  rally, 
And  proudly  she  smiled  as  the  glittering  ranks 

Lay  bleeding  and  crushed  in  the  valley  ! 

Thus  Freedom  has  smiled  o'er  the  land  of  the  Brave, 

O'er  hearts  that  were  constant  and  true  to  the  last  ; 
If  the  storm  then  sweep  over  our  path,  let  it  rave  — 

We  can  stand  to  the  toil  and  the  blast  ! 
Let  us  rally  for  Freedom  as  truly  as  when 

The  blood  of  our  forefathers  won  her  ? 
Let  us  fight  for  our  glorious  Union,  like  men, 

And  be  worthy  the  name  that  we  honor  ! " 


224  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

With  a  sad  heart  Frank  bade  his  good  friend 
"  good-bye  "  at  the  depot,  as  he  started  for  the 
"  dark  and  bloody  ground  "  of  the  South. 

His  regiment  was  stationed  near  Harrison's 
Landing  at  the  time  he  joined  it,  having 
passed  through  the  famous  Peninsular  Cam- 
paign while  he  was  out  on  the  broad  Atlantic. 
Yery  hot  was  the  weather,  and  the  camp  by 
no  means  the  most  comfortable  place  in  the 
world.  But  no  discomfort  could  ruffle  the 
serenity  of  True  Blue's  Christian  temper, — 
no  privation  prevent  him  from  performing  his 
whole  duty  to  his  country. 

The  days  for  some  time  were  occupied  with 
picket  duty  and  drill,  and  often  at  night,  he 
was  on  guard,  pacing  his  lonely  beat  with 
thoughts  of  his  far-away  home,  and  of  his  lone- 
ly sister  whose  anxious  thoughts  and  loving 
solicitude  he  knew  had  followed  him  to  the 
scenes  of  danger  and  bloodshed. 

One  night,  he  was  awakened  from  sleep  by 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  225 

the  sudden  call  to  arms  which  effectuallj  dis- 
tiu'bs  a  soldier's  slumbers.  The  sudden  and 
rapid  booming  of  camions  and  the  whirring  of 
shells  had  broken  the  silence  of  the  mid-night 
hour,  and  all  was  commotion.  It  was  discov-  ■ 
ered  that  the  rebels  had  planted  a  battery  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  were  hoping 
to  inflict  serious  hijury  on  the  union  men. 
But  the  great  guns  of  True  Blue's  regiment 
were  soon  brought  to  bear  on  them,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  they  were  silenced.  Some  of 
their  shots,  however,  had  taken  effect,  and 
more  than  one.  brave  fellow  who  was  defending 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  was  called  to  suffer  as  a 
martyr  for  dear  Liberty. 

In  the  camp  True  Blue  was  a  favorite. 
The  good  loved  him  for  his  evident  goodness, 
the  bad  respected  his  mibending  integrity,  and 
admired  his  social  qualities  and  plainly  appar- 
ent bravery.  Yet  he  did  not  fail  to  rebuke  sin 
wherever  he  saw  it. 


226  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

One  day  a  soldier  rushed  out  of  a  tent  ap- 
parently in  a  state  of  great  excitement,  and 
swearing  fearfully.  He  saw  True  Blue  as  ho 
reached  the  road,  and  instinctively  gave  the 
military  salute,  at  the  same  time  apologizing 
for  what  True  Blue  must  have  overheard,  say- 
ing in  excuse,  that  the  men  inside  had  pro- 
voked him  and  used  just  such  words  to  him. 

"  Have  we  any  right  to  get  so  provoked 
as  to  use  language  that  we  know  is  not  accept- 
able in  the  ear  of  God  ? "  asked  True  Blue, 
mildly. 

"  No,  sir,  I  don't  suppose  we  have,"  was  tlie 
answer. 

"Do  you  suppose  we  ought  to  follow  any 
bad  example  ?  Because  another  craft  goes  out 
of  the  right  channel  and  gets  among  rocks  and 
sand-bars,  will  true  wisdom  teach  us  to  follow 
in  its  wake  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no  sir.  I  agree  with  you,  but  I  don't 
stop  to  think." 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  227 

"  I  wish  you  could  remember  just  this : 

*  To  swear  is  neither  brave,  polite,  nor  wise^' 

it  would  be  better  for  you,"  said  True  Blue 
'with  a  smile,  and  turned  away. 

"  If  they  were  all  like  you,"  called  out  the 
private  after  him,  "  there  wouldn't  be  any- 
thino;  to  swear  about." 

There  was  another  vice  of  the  camp  which 
True  Blue  in  practice  and  with  earnest  words 
condemned.  No  strong  drink  ever  passed  his 
lips,  and  he  could  never  see  men  steeping  their 
senses  in  the  vile  potations  of  tlie  tippler  with- 
out a  kind  but  earnest  protest  against  that 
outrage  upon  humanity.  He  remembered  the 
Temperance  Society  in  dear  old  Marblehead 
with  which  her  was  connected,  and  he  was 
determined  to  be  a  Templar  worthy  of  his 
Knighthood.  Pledged  for  life  to  abstain  from 
all  intoxicating  drinks,  he  never  felt  that  ab- 
sence from  his  Lodge  gave  him  any  liberty  in 


228  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

the  use  of  ardent  spirits,  or  released  him  from 
his  solemn  obligations.  He  was  sometimes 
put  to  the  trial,  but  always  came  out  like  pure 
gold  from  the  furnace. 

One  day,  during  a  long  and  weary  march 
beneath  a  burning  sun,  he  was  thirsty,  and 
longed  for  a  draught  of  cool,  refreshing  water, 
as  much  as  ever  traveller  on  Sahara  longed 
for  the  oasis  with  its  fountain.  His  own  can- 
teen was  empty.  He  had  drained  his  last 
drop.  Faulting  and  exhausted  he  expressed  a 
wish  for  drink.  A  soldier  near,  with  fi4endly 
alacrity,  offered  him  his  own  canteen.  True 
Blue  lifted  it  to  his  lips,  but  ere  he  had  tasted 
a  drop,  the  odor  of  whiskey  was  perceived,  and 
he  returned  it  untouched  to  the  owner,  with  a 
sigh,  and  the  words,  "  Oh,  William,  I  wish 
you  would  sign  the  temperance-pledge." 

"  Pshaw !  what  harm  will  a  little  whiskey 
do !  You  need  it.  Call  it  a  medicine  and 
ii'ink  it." 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  229 

"  No,  not  I.  I've  shaped  my  course  too 
long  by  the  North  Star  of  Total  Abstinence, 
and  I  won't  lay  off  a  single  point." 

"  Not  if  you  faint  by  the  way  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  can  endure  the  privation,  and  I 
would  rather  die  than  willfully  break  my 
pledge.  I  signed  it  first  to  please  my  sainted 
mother,  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  I  want  to  look 
her  in  the  face  like  a  true  man  when  I  meet 
her  again." 

The  young  soldier  looked  at  True  Blue  a 
moment ;  then  took  his  canteen,  opened  it, 
reversed  it,  and  poured  every  drop  upon  the 
ground. 

"  There,  sir,  I'll  sign  the  pledge  when  we 
halt,  and  send  word  about  it  to  my  mother ; 
it  will  make  her  heart  glad,  I  know." 

True  Blue  silently  gave  his  hand  to  the 
young  man  in  token  of  a  sympathy  and  appro- 
bation beyond  words. 

The  morning  of  the  terrible  battle  of  Antie- 


230  THE    RUNAWAY   BOY. 

tarn  airived.  True  Blue  arose  early,  ere  it 
was  scarcely  day,  and  wrote  a  letter  to  his 
only  sister,  and  a  few  lines  to  Frank.  He 
knew  a  battle  was  before  them,  and  he  wished 
to  speak  a  few  words  which  might  possibly 
be  those  of  farewell.  It  was  strange  what  a 
hold  that  boy  had  on  his  heart,  he  thought, 
but  nevertheless,  it  was  so,  and  therefore  he 
wrote  — 

"  Dear  Thomas  :  — 

I  am  about  to  go  into  battle,  I  suppose,  and 
I  write  you  a  few  words  of  friendly  counsel  as 
they  may  be  the  last  I  can  ever  give  you.  I 
need  not  tell  you  that  I  write  as  one  who  feels 
a  deep  interest  in  you.  You  know  it,  my  boy. 
I  saved  your  life  as  much  because  I  liked  you 
as  because  it  was  my  duty,  and  I  want  the 
world  should  have  reason  to  be  glad  I  saved  it. 
Thomas,  I  want  you  to  have  Jesus  for  your 
pilot.  If  I  fall  to-day  I  shall  not  see  you  on 
earth  again,  but  I  want  to  be  sure  of  meeting 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  231 

you  in  heaven.  Be  a  good  boy  to  your  moth- 
er. I  wish  you  could  go  back  to  her,  and  do 
as  well,  for  at  your  age,  a  boy  is  safer  with  his 
mother.  I  would  go  back  soon  if  I  were  you. 
At  any  rate,  that's  my  advice.  You  may  have 
it  for  what  it  is  worth. 

I  cannot  write  you  a  long  letter  now.     God 
bless  you,  my  boy !     Remember  me  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bartlett,  and  so  good-bye. 
Your  old  shipmate. 

Ad.  Martin." 

This  letter  and  the  one  to  his  sister  he  gave 
to  the  chaplain  who  took  charge  of  the  mail, 
and  who  was  an  especial  friend  to  True  Blue, 
prizing  greatly  the  services  he  rendered  in  the 
regimental  prayer-meetings  and  among  the 
sick. 

The  drums  beat  to  arms,  and  the  gallant 
men  formed  in  proper  manner,  and  under 
leaders  brave  and  patriotic  like  themselves, 
went   forth   to   meet  the   enemy.     The   star- 


232  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

spangled  banner  waved  proudly  in  the  morn- 
ing light,  and  every  heart  beat  high  with  love 
of  country  and  dear  liberty. 

On  they  went,  and  on  came  the  rebellious 
foe.  Brothers  met  brothers  in  blood,  but  not 
in  sentiment,  for  sanguinary  conflict.  Heavy 
volleys  of  artillery  and  musketry  were  fired  on 
both  sides.  The  carnage  of  the  battlefield 
began.  Ghastly  wounds,  bleeding  corses,  gory 
forms  of  horses  and  men,  the  groans  and  cries 
of  the  wounded  and  dying,  the  stiff,  stark 
bodies  of  men  whose  warfare  was  accomplished, 
chargers  riderless,  soldier's  equipments  strewn 
on  the  ground,  the  occasional  sound  of  the 
drums  and  fifes  as  there  was  a  lull  in  the 
firing,  the  cheers  of  the  combatants,  the  scream 
of  shells,  the  whirring  of  bullets,  the  incessant 
report  and  rattle  of  musketry  —  these  were 
the  sights  and  sounds  of  that  awful  hour. 

True  Blue  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight. 
For  a  while  he  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  233 

His  companions  fell  on  all  sides,  but  not  a 
bullet  struck  him,  not  a  shell  burst  near  him. 
Cool  and  calm,  with  his  heart  trusting  in  God, 
he  performed  his  duty. 

But  his  hour  came.  A  minnie  bullet  tore 
through  the  side  of  his  face,  and  a  shell  pros- 
trated him.  He  was  borne  from  the  field,  by 
men  who  wept  as  they  turned  to  leave  his 
senseless  form,  and  went  back  into  the  battle, 
feeling  sure  that  if  they  themselves  survived,  it 
would  not  be  to  meet  his  welcome  smile  again. 

That  terrible  day  will  never  be  forgotten. 
Those  other  terrible  days  which  followed!  — 
Oh,  how  many  hearts  bleed  at  the  word  —  An- 
tic tarn  !  Brave  hearts  and  noble  souls  heard 
the  roll-call  of  eternity  that  day,  amid  the 
fierce  strife  for  the  supremacy  of  law  and  the 
reign  of  liberty,  and  "  went  up  higher,"  while 
along  the  telegraphic  wires  flashed  the  sad 
tidings  of  bereavement  to  the  waiting,  anxious 
hearts  at  home. 


234  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

Death  to  those  heroes    was  only  another 
name  for  Victory,  and 

"  Freedom's  battle,  once  begun, 
Bequeathed  from  bleeding  sire  to  son. 
Though  baflfled  oft,  is  ever  won." 


CHAPTFR  XYI. 


THE     DYING     SOLDIER. 

ORNE  from  the  battlefield  as  he 
was,  so  soon,  True  Blue  did  not 
share  the  hapless  fate  of  many 
of  our  wounded  soldiers  when 
the  rest  were  obliged  to  leave 
during  the  few  days  that  fol- 
lowed. 

He  was  tenderly  cared  for  by  the  surgeons 
and  by  the  men  who  acted  as  nurses.  Gen- 
erous hearts  connected  with  that  noble  na- 
tional charity,  the  Sanitary  Commission,  min- 
istered to  his  wants,  and,  though  his  wounds 
were  fearful,  he  lingered  on,  and  was  finally 

235 


236  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

conveyed  to  a  hospital  not  far  from  Washing- 
ton. 

One  of  the  nurses  in  that  hospital  was  a 
Washington  lady  with  whom  Mary  Nelson  was 
acquainted.  She  was  present  when  True  Blue 
was  brouglit  to  the  hospital,  and  for  several 
days  ministered  to  his  wants  without  inquiring 
his  name. 

One  day,  as  she  sat  near  him  engaged  in 
preparing  some  bandages  for  his  terrible 
wounds,  a  young  man  entered,  having  on  the 
Federal  uniform.  His  face  looked  familiar, 
but  his  dress  perhaps  had  altered  him. 
Though  the  nurse  felt  sure  she  had  seen  him 
before,  she  could  not  recognize  him  fully. 

"  How  are  you.  True  Blue  ? "  was  his  first 
salutation. 

The  wounded  soldier  recognized  him  at 
once,  pointed  with  a  look  of  pride  to  his 
uniform,  and  then  said,  with  great  effort, 
"  Almost  home,  Oscar." 


THE   KUNAWAY  BOY.  237 

They  conversed  a  few  moments,  Oscar  doing 
most  of  the  talking,  and  the  nurse  having 
moved  away,  so  that  they  were  alone.  Thomas 
Evans  was  one  theme  of  their  conversation. 
The  nurse  was  called  away,  but  soon  came 
back  with  a  young  lady,  who  cast  a  sharp 
glance  ou  the  young  man,  and  looked  long  and 
kindly  on  the  wounded  soldier.  Oscar  noticed 
her.  He  knew  her,  but  knew  also  that  she 
did  not  know  him,  and  little  dreamed  that  the 
older  boy  who  had  aided  her  brother  to  gain  a 
fancied  freedom,  was  before  her. 

The  nurse  and  Mary  Nelson  went  away 
again,  and  when  the  nurse  came  back,  the 
young  man  was  gone,  the  wounded  soldier  was 
asleep,  and  on  the  bed  was  a  little  note,  thus 
worded : 

"  Nurse,  —  Please  tell  the  young  lady  who 
was  here  with  you  this  afternoon,  that  this 
wounded  soldier  once  saved  her  brother  from 
drowning.  Yisitob." 


238  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

The  suspicions  of  the  nurse  and  Mary  were 
now  confirmed.  The  nurse  had  only  a  little 
while  before  heard  Mary  Nelson  and  her  moth- 
er talk  of  the  absent  Frank,  and  listened  to  his 
letters.  The  name  of  his  friend  had  been  im- 
pressed upon  her  memory,  by  the  fact  that  she, 
herself,  was  once  called  so  by  a  dear  friend 
because  of  her  constancy.  When  therefore 
she  heard  the  name,  her  thoughts  went  back 
at  once  to  that  letter.  Mary  Nelson  was  in 
the  habit  of  visiting  that  hospital,  in  order  to 
give  what  "^omfort  she  could  to  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers,  with  her  jellies,  custards, 
flowers  and  fruits.  Her  mother  sometimes 
accompanied  her,  or  came  without  her,  but 
more  rarely,  as  she  could  not  be  easily  spared 
from  her  home.  The  nurse  was  expecting 
Mary  when  she  heard  that  name,  and  it  was 
her  intention  to  question  Oscar  after  Mary  had 
departed,  if  he  had  not  also  so  soon  taken  his 
flight.     But  he  was  in  the  Army,  and  his  fui^ 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  239 

lough  short.  lie  rightly  concluded  that  if  he 
wrote  that  note,  while  it  would  not  give  any 
clue  to  Frank's  home,  it  might  secure  for 
True  Blue  extra  comfort  and  care.  To  give 
Oscar  due  credit,  his  motive  was  really  good, 
and  he  wished  to  have  the  noble  sailor  cared 
for  very  tenderly.  His  own  family  were  out 
of  town,  all  of  them.  He  had  only  just  heard 
of  True  Blue's  state,  and  hastened  to  him  at 
once.  By  the  side  of  the  note  lay  a  five  dollar 
bill  with  a  small  slip  of  paper  wrapped  within 
it,  on  which  Oscar  had  written,  "  ^?pend  this 
for  the  soldier." 

The  nurse,  a  conscientious,  high-minded 
woman,  took  charge  of  both  notes  and  bill, 
and  spent  it  freely  for  her  patient's  comfort. 

Towards  night  she  was  again  sitting  near 
True  Blue,  who  was  lying  awake,  but  quiet, 
when  the  same  young  lady  came  to  her. 

"  I  could  not  stay  away  all  night,  Mrs. 
Bruce :  I  was  so  impatient  to  hear  if  you  could 
learn  anything  of  ray  brother." 


240  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

**  Here  is  a  note,  which  will  interest  you. 
Perhaps  we  have  a  clue." 

Mary  read  the  note,  then  kissed  it,  and 
exclaimed,  "  It  must  be  true.  Wliere  did  you 
get  this  ?     That  young  man  ?  " 

Yes,  he  was  gone  when  I  got  back,  and  left 
this." 

"  And  you  do  not  know  him  ?  " 

"  I've  seen  him  somewhere,  but  I  don 't 
know  his  name." 

"  Perhaps  he  will  come  again." 

"  No,  I  don 't  think  he  will ;  for  he  evidently 
did  not  mean  to  teU  us  any  more,  and  if  he 
was  coming  again  he  would  not  have  left  the 
note  or  the  money,  till  his  last  call,  I  think." 

"  What  can  we  do  ?  " 

"Nothing,  but  take  care  of  this  dear  sol- 
dier." 

"  Can 't  you  ask  hhn  ?  " 

"  The  surgeon  has  forbidden  any  more  con- 
versation with  him  to-day.     He  says  something 


THE   RUNAWAY  BOY.  211 

has  excited  him,  and  he  is  not  as  well.     It 
must  be  the  visit  of  that  young  man." 

True  Blue's  eyes  were  fixed  on  Mary's  face, 
and  he  beckoned  to  her,  and  whispered  some- 
thing. His  eyes  looked  as  if  he  saw  more 
than  others  could  discern.  Plainly,  he  was 
not  quite  as  clear-headed  as  he  had  been. 
Delirium  was  approaching. 

What  he  did  say,  was,  "  Thomas  ?  Come 
Thomas  !  "  for  Mary's  likeness  to  her  brother 
deceived  the  failing  faculties  of  the  dying 
man.  He  was  dying  —  so  the  nurse  said  —  so 
the  surgeon  declared,  and  Mary  left  witli  the 
words,  "  I  shall  stay  at  home  and  let  my 
mother  come  to  him.  She  will  want  to  nurse 
poor  Frank's  friend.     You  will  let  her." 

The  nurse  bowed  assent  with  tearful  eyes, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  Mrs.  Nelson  herself 
was  by  the  bedside  of  True  Blue.  Oh  how 
tenderly  she  bent  above  him  I  How  she 
smoothed  his  pillow,  and  bathed  his  brow,  and 


242  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

rubbed  his  hands,  and  bound  up  his  injured 
leg,  and  ministered  with  a  mother's  love  and 
care  to  his  wants,  need  not  be  told,  for  she 
thought  of  Frank,  and  her  heart  blessed  the 
dying  soldier  with  all  the  fullness  of  a  moth- 
er's gratitude. 

The  wound  in  his  cheek  made  it  difficult  for 
True  Blue  to  converse,  so  that  even  when  not 
delirious,  it  was  not  easy  to  learn  anything 
from  him.  How  Mrs.  Nelson  longed  to  ask  of 
Frank!  But  she  schooled  her  mother-heart 
and  was  loyal  enough  to  be  also  self-denying. 
It  was  a  hard  task,  but  it  was  bravely  accom- 
plished. It  was  rendered  a  little  easier  from 
the  fact  that  the  partial  delirium  of  the  patient 
precluded  the  idea  of  many  straight  forward 
answers. 

Mrs.  Nelson  felt  her  duty  to  be  plain.  She 
was  to  watch  over  the  dying  volunteer  till  he 
should  go  hence.  When  she  first  came  he 
was   asleep,  ever   and   anon   groaning   aloud. 


THE    RUNAWAY    BOY.  243 

His  troubled  slumber  came  to  an  end,  and 
then,  at  first,  he  stared  wildly  at  her,  and 
finally  appeared  to  take  but  little  notice  of 
anything. 

When  the  surgeon  next  saw  him,  he  said, 
shaking  his  head  impressively,  "  There's  a 
gi-eat  change  —  a  great  change." 

"  How  long  may  he  live  ?  "  inquired  Mrs. 
Nelson. 

"  Perhaps  a  day  or  two :  perhaps  not  an 
hour.     He  may  brighten  up  and  speak  again." 

And  he  did  thus  brighten.  The  clocks  of 
the  distant  city  were  just  telling  the  midnight 
hour,  when  True  Blue  opened  his  eyes,  and 
looked  at  Mrs.  Nelson.  He  smiled.  There 
was  a  strange  light  in  his  dying  eyes.  It  was 
the  light  of  life's  parting  moment.  Mrs. 
Nelson  knew  it.  She  beckoned  to  the  nurse, 
and  the  latter  summoned  quickly  from  other 
couches  the  surgeon  and  the  chaplain.  The 
latter,  though   Mrs.  Nelson  did  not  know  it, 


244  THE   RUNAWAY   BOY. 

was  an  acquaintance  of  the  dying  soldier,  and 
was  his  chaplain  when  he  was  with  the  three 
month's  men.  He  felt,  therefore,  a  peculiar 
interest  in  the  departing  patriot. 

For  some  little  time  True  Blue  glanced 
from  one  to  the  other.  Mrs.  Nelson  held  his 
hand,  and  bathed  his  pale  brow,  with  the  cool 
ice  water  which  was  near.  The  surgeon  stood 
with  an  ominous  gaze  looking  upon  the  placid 
face,  which  despite  the  bandages,  was  not  un- 
pleasant in  appearance. 

Suddenly  True  Blue  raised  his  hands,  and 
looked  towards  Mrs.  Nelson.  Faintly,  and  yet 
clearly  enough  to  be  well  understood  by  all, 
he  said  — 

"  Have  you  come  back  from  heaven,  moth- 
er ?     Fm  so  glad.     Kiss  me,  my  —  mother  !  " 

Mrs.  Nelson  could  not  withstand  that  plead- 
ing look,  those  touching  words ;  she  leaned 
over  his  lowly  couch,  and  her  lips  met  those 
of  the  dying  soldier.     He  kissed,  as  he  thought, 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOT.  245 

his  precious  mother  who  had  long  been  resting 
from  her  labors  —  she  kissed  the  saviour  of 
her  darling  boy. 

A  mist  gathered  over  the  surgeon's  eyes, 
and  he  was  about  to  turn  away  to  hide  the 
fast-coming  tears,  but  he  looked  up  and  saw 
tliat  down  the  chaplain's  cheeks  the  bright, 
crystal  drops  were  rolUng ;  then  he  turned  not 
away,  for  he  felt  that  it  was  manly  in  that 
hour  to  weep.  The  nurse  sobbed  audibly. 
Only  on  the  faces  of  the  dying  man  —  for  the 
dying  never  weep —  and  on  that  of  the  mother 
who  bent  above  him,  and  who  seemed  for  a 
season,  as  it  were,  lifted  out  of  herself,  that 
she  might  be  the  bright,  dear  face  to  comfort 
the  suffering  spirit,  were  there  no  tears. 

True  Blue  still  looked  at  Mrs.  Nelson  with 
a  long,  lingering  gaze. 

"  You  are  going  to  Jesus  ?  "  asked  she. 

"Yes  —  anchor  —  in  heaven."  And  again 
he  smiled.  "Once  more,  my  —  darling-- 
mother  ?  " 


246  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

She  bent  again  over  his  dying  bed  and 
kissed  him  for  his  mother.  His  eyes  closed, 
and  he  never  opened  them  again.  A  solemn 
pause,  and  then  the  surgeon  broke  the  tearful 
stillness  with  the  words,  "  he  is  gone  !  '*  Ten- 
derly and  reverently  Mrs.  Xclson  laid  his 
hands  across  his  breast,  and  drew  the  counter- 
pane above  them,  then  bent  and  kissed  the 
brow  of  the  dead  soldier.  Drawing  some 
scissors  from  her  pocket,  she  cut  a  large  curl 
from  the  motionless  head,  and  turning  to  the 
surgeon  and  chaplain,  said  softly,  through  tears 
that  then  fell  fast  as  summer  rain,  "  He  saved 
the  life  of  my  only  son  !     This  is  for  him." 


CHAPTER  XYII. 


BURIED    UNDER    ARMS. 

AR  away  in  Marblehead,  Frank 
read  the  papers,  that  gave  an 
account  of  the  battle  of  Antie- 
tam.  He  knew  that  True 
Blue's  regiment  was  there,  and 
he  almost  expected  the  next 
news  that  came,  which  was  that 
a  long  list  of  Marblehead  men  were  killed, 
and  among  them  True  Blue. 

Then  came  a  letter  from  an  officer  who  was 
spared,  and  he  gave  True  Blue's  name  as 
among  those  who  were  only  wounded,  and 
Frank's  heart,  which  had  been  grief-stricken, 
revived. 

247 


248  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

"  You  think  he  is  certainly  alive,  don 't 
you  ?  "  he  asked,  with  trembling  eagerness,  of 
his  employer. 

"  This  letter  says  so,  and  the  writer  is  a 
reliable  man." 

"  But  does  he  know  what  he  writes  about?" 

Mrs.  Bartlett  smiled  a  good  humored  smile. 

"  No  matter  if  I  am  a  little  unreasonable, 
True  Blue  was  a  good  friend  to  me.  He  saved 
my  life,  and  ho  loved  me,  for  his  last  letter 
shows  it,  and  his  conduct  towards  me  proved 
it.  I  love  him,  and  I  can  't  help  feeling  bad 
about  the  news,  anyway."  And  the  poor 
fellow  sobbed  aloud.  Alas  !  his  sorrows  were 
only  commencing. 

"  Don't  feel  so  bad,  my  boy,"  said  Mr.  Bart- 
lett, "  he  is  in  God's  hands  there  as  well  as 
here.  He  caimot  get  out  of  His  reach,  and 
you  know  he  needs  no  better  friend." 

That  afternoon  brought  a  letter  from  the 
chaplain  of  his  regiment  tellmg  the  story  of 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  249 

his  woimds,  and  euding  with  the  assurance 
that  he  was  soon  to  be  taken  to  Washington, 
and  placed  in  the  hospital  there. 

"  I  wish  my  sister  or  my  mother  would  go 
to  him  and  take  care  of  him,"  said  Frank  to 
Mrs.  Bartlett  as  he  folded  the  letter  and  re- 
turned it  to  her  ;  he  little  thought  that  his  wish 
was  being  so  far  fulfilled  that  his  mother  was 
there,  as  we  have  seen,  to  close  the  dying  eyes 
of  his  noble  friend. 

And  he  almost  resolved  to  write  a  letter  to 
his  mother,  telling  her  just  where  he  was,  and 
all  about  True  Blue,  and  askmg  her  to  seek 
out  his  kind  friend,  and  minister  to  his  needs. 

Before  he  had  fairly  begun  his  letter,  how- 
ever, came  a  telegraphic  despatch  announcing 
to  the  only  sister  of  True  Blue  and  his  other 
relatives,  that  he  had  gone  up  to  his  reward  : 
that  the  noble  heart  which  beat  with  patriotic 
fervor  for  the  cause  of  his  dear  native  land  and 
her  holy  institutions,  was  still  forever. 


250  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

Frank  was  sitting  at  his  work,  when  Mr. 
Bartlett,  who  had  been  to  carry  some  finished 
shoes  to  liis  employer,  came  in  with  the  sad 
and  unwelcome  intelligence.  He  dropped  his 
awl  and  listened  as  Mr.  Bartlett  said  softly  to 
his  wife,  who  was  near,  "  We  shall  not  meet 
our  dear  friend  Martin  again  on  earth.  The 
Skipper  has  heard  the  summons  and  gone 
home." 

"  Oh,  how  I  wish  I  was  in  Washington  !  " 
sobbed  out  the  heart-stricken  boy.  There 
arose  in  his  heart  an  utterable  longing  to  see 
that  dear  face  once  more,  even  though  he 
must  see  it  with  the  stamp  of  dissolution  upon 
it. 

"  The  remains  are  to  be  sent  home,  so  the 
telegram  said." 

"If  so,  I  hope  they  will  be  in  such  a  state 
that  we  can  look  at  him,"  said  ^Irs.  Bartlett. 

"  Probably  they  will  be  embalmed,"  said 
Mr.  Bartlett,  "  for  I  heard  True  Blue  say  he 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 


251 


should  leave  both  written  and  verbal  directions 
for  his  body  to  be  embalmed  and  sent  home, 
in  case  of  his  death  in  a  hospital,  for  he 
thought  it  would  be  a  comfort  to  his  sister." 

"  How  thoughtful   always  for   others  !  "   ex- 
claimed   Mrs.    Bartlett,    and    Frank's    heart 
echoed  her  words.     As  soon  as  he  had  learned 
all  Mr.  Bartlett  had  to  tell  about  it,  he  began 
to  crave  solitude,  and  sought  his  own  chamber. 
There  he  wept  without  restraint.     It  mattered 
not  how  old  or  how  big  a  boy  he  was,  the  tears 
would  come,  and  he  had  neither  the  power  nor 
the  will  to  control  them.     He  wept  chiefly  at 
tlie  reflection  of  his  own  want  of  candor  with 
that  noble  and  true-hearted  friend.     He  ought 
to  have  repaid  his  kindness  and  friendship  by 
entire  confidence,  and   not  have   played  the 
hypocrite  as  he  did.     Now  he  could  never  tell 
that  wise  friend  his  peculiar  circumstances, 
or  hear  from  him  the  words  of  advice  which 
he  needed.     But  one  thing  was  a  little  com- 


2.32  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

forting.  The  remains  were  to  be  brought 
home.  The  untenanted  clay  was  to  repose 
beside  the  ashes  of  his  parents  in  Marblehead. 
This  was  a  matter  of  real  thanksgiving,  and  as 
he  thought  of  it  —  thought  of  the  privilege  he 
should  have  of  strewing  flowers  above  the  dust 
of  his  dear  friend,  and  of  musing  often  beside 
his  grave,  he  wiped  his  eyes,  and,  in  no  mood 
for  work,  but  fearing  Mr.  Bartlett  might  need 
him,  he  proceeded  to  the  work  room  once 
more. 

"  We've  been  reckoning  up,"  said  Mr. 
Bartlett, ''  and  we  think  the  remains  will  be 
here  the  last  of  the  week.  There  will  be  a 
letter  and  then  we  shall  know." 

"  We  shall  go  of  course  ? "  asked  Frank, 
with  an  awl  ready  to  let  drop  in  case  there 
was  a  negative  answer,  for  he  never  could  have 
made  another  shoe  for  a  man  who  declined 
attendance  on  the  obsequies  of  one  so  loyal 
and  gentle  and  noble  as  True  Blue. 


THn    RUNAWAY    COY.  253 

"  Wc  siiall  all  go.  I  shouldn't  wonder  if 
there  was  a  public  funeral,  and  the  Governor 
should  be  there." 

"  He  deserves  the  presence  of  the  Governor, 
as  much  as  any  man  that  dies  for  the  flag. 
He  died  a  Sergeant,  I  suppose,  but  he  deserved 
to  be  a  Lieutenant  or  Captain." 

"Did  you  not  know  he  was  promoted ?  " 

«No  — washe?" 

"  Yes,  to  be  a  Lieutenant.  '  His  commission 
was  made  out  a  week  before  he  fell  in  action, 
but  it  was  dated  some  time  back." 

"  Then  he  will  be  buried  as  a  Lieutenant  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  let  him  have  all  the  honors  we 
can  give  him,  but  after  all  what  comforts  me 
most  is  that  I  can  say,  thinking  of  him, 

'  Asleep  in  Jesus  !  blessed  sleep, 
From  which  none  ever  wake  to  weep.' 

He  is  asleep  in  Jesus,  and  now  enjoys 

*  A  calm  and  undisturbed  repose, 
Unbroken  by  the  last  of  foes  ? " 


254  THE    RUNAWAY   BOY. 

Frank  and  liis  employer  worked  diligently 
on  their  new  lot  of  shoes,  that  they  might  the 
more  easily  leave  their  work  on  that  day  of 
days  to  Frank. 

The  hour  came.  Frank  and  Mrs.  Bartlett 
stood  side  by  side  in  the  depot.  Oh,  how  they 
wished  it  was  the  living,  tangible  True  Blue 
whom  they  had  come  to  meet,  instead  of  the 
grim,  cold,  stony  corse !  But  God  had  ordered 
otherwise.  Mr.  Bartlett,  schooled  as  he  was 
to  thoughts  of  piety,  felt  submissive,  but  sad. 
Frank  was  rebellious.  He  could  not  see,  for 
his  part,  why  such  men  as  True  Blue  had  to 
die,  and  worse  men  live  on  till  everybody  gets 
tired  of  them. 

The  whistle  sounded.  The  cars  were  com- 
ing from  Salem.  Boston  passengers  and 
others  were  on  board.  Much  baggage  also. 
But  one  long  narrow  box  was  of  special  inter- 
est to  Frank  and  his  employer,  and  to  others 
who  had  gathered  for  the  same  purpose.     Soon 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  255 

they  saw  the  sexton  and  others  carry  that  box 
and  place  it  where  they  could  remove  the 
coffin  from  within  it.  It  was  a  plain  but 
neat  coffin,  covered  with  dark  blue  cloth, 
decked  with  silvery  stars  on  the  top.  It  was 
borne  to  the  place  assigned  for  the  night,  and 
thither  followed  Mr.  Bartlett  and  the  runaway 
boy.  ^  They  opened  the  coffin,  and  the  friends 
of  the  departed  soldier  —  the  crowned  con- 
queror —  tlie  patriot  martyr  —  looked  once 
more  upon  the  features  of  him  whom  they  had 
so  dearly  loved.  Tears  were  on  faces  that 
turned  away  to  hide  them.  FraTik  didn't  turn 
away,  though  he  wept  bitterly.  Touching  that 
forehead  with  his  hand,  as  he  gave  the  dear 
head  thus  a  slight  caress,  he  was  surprised  to 
find  it  so  cold  —  and  so  icy. 

"He  was  True  Blue  to  the  end,"  said  a 
young  man  near.  "  He  could  never  be  any- 
thing but  good,  from  a  child,  I  have  heard  say, 
and  certainly  I  never  saw  one  so  perfect.*' 


256  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY 

Many  other  words  of  eulogy  were  spoken, 
but  none  more  true  than  Frank's  when  he 
said,  "  he  saved  my  life  once,  and  I  believe  he 
would  die  first  before  he  would  let  any  one 
suffer  for  want  of  help." 

"  He  has  died  for  his  country  in  her  hour  of 
need,"  spoke  the  minister  of  the  Gospel  who 
stood  near,  "  and  thus  dying  has  scaled  his 
allegiance,  declared  patriotism,  and  written  his 
name  among 

*  the  few,  the  immortal  names 
That  were  not  born  to  die.' " 

On  the  morrow,  after  the  long  morning 
hours  had  given  a  loyal,  mourning  towns' 
people  an  opportunity  of  looking  upon  the 
countenance  of  one  whom  they  respected  and 
loved,  the  funeral  honors  were  rendered  to  the 
heroic  dead.  He  was  "  buried  under  arms," 
as  the  phrase  is  ;  that  is,  the  body  was  accom- 
panied to  the  grave  by  a  military  escort.     The 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  207 

flag  of  his  countiy,  with  its  beautiful  folds, 
draped  his  coffiu  as  it  stood  beueath  the  pulpit 
of  the  church  wherein  he  was  wont  to  worship. 
From  the  lips  of  the  revered  pastor  came 
words  of  truthful  eulogy  and  Gospel  comfort, 
and  when  the  last  word  had  been  spoken,  the 
last  prayer  offered,  the  closing  liymn  sung, 
with  its  sad  and  pathetic  melody,  the  coffin 
wa§  borne  to  the  hearse  by  young  men  in  the 
imiform  of  loyal  soldiers,  while  tlie  home» 
guard,  their  ranks  increased  by  newly-enlisted 
men  and  furloughed  soldiers  who  were  in  town, 
followed  respectfully,  with  voice  of  muffled 
drum,  and  the  shrill  fife  and  other  instruments 
sounding  the  sweet,  solemn  music  of  "  Pleyel's 
Hymn  "  —  music  which  this  war  and  its  con- 
sequent funerals  have  made  mournfully  famil- 
iar —  with  banner  half-unfurled,  and  reversed 
arms,  sought  the  final  earthly  resting  place  of 
the  man  whom  they  delighted  to  honor. 
There  they  paused,  and  stepping  forward  from 
the  ranks,  the  chosen  men  fired  the  farewell 


258  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

volleys  over  the  grave,  then  turn  away  and 
leave  "  ashes  to  ashes,  dust  to  dust,"  but  com- 
forted, no  doubt,  with  the  thought  of  "  Jesus 
and  the  resurrection  "  —  God  and  immortal- 
ity! 

Words  can  but  faintly  express  the  emotions 
of  the  runaway  boy  in  those  solemn  hours. 
In  his  heart  was  a  sharp  conflict.  He  was 
looking  the  question  of  his  present  duty  stern- 
ly in  the  face.  He  was  grappling  with  the 
idea  of  repentance.     And  he  finally  yielded. 

By  the  new-made  grave  of  his  heroic 
friend  —  that  same  evening  in  the  starlight  — 
he  stood,  and  communed  with  himself  of  thft 
Past,  the  Present,  and  the  Future,  and  then 
and  there  resolved  that  he  would  return  to  his 
mother  —  money  or  no  money  —  freedom  or 
no  freedom  —  and  with  penitence  true  as  his 
present  sorrow  was  deep  and  sincere,  would 
ask  for  the  pardon  which  alone  could  make 
earth  bright  and  joyous  to  him  again. 

Meanwhile,  where  was  the  runaway's  sister  ? 


CHAPTER  XVIIT. 


THE    sister's    search. 


^^^:n^>tW  ^S.  NELSON  went  home  to 
/^^  Ml  hII  ri  her  daughter  from  that 
death-bed  with  a  new  hope 
in  her  heart.  She  had  in- 
quired of  the  Chaplain  con- 
cerning the  soldier  over 
whose  path  she  had  been 
permitted  to  cast  a  ray  of  sunlight,  and  found 
that  his  home  was  in  Marblehead  ;  at  least  he 
had  enlisted  as  from  that  place.  With  this 
slight  clue,  and  the  knowledge  that  his  name 
was  Martin,  she  felt  quite  happy  as  she  sought 
her  home,  for  she  had  a  plan  in  her  mind, 

259 


260  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

which,  if  successfully  accomplished,  might 
give  back  her  beloved  son  to  her  embrace 
again. 

Her  daughter  met  her  at  the  door.  "  Why, 
mother,  you  are  back  much  earlier  than  I 
supposed.  I  thought  you  would  stay  several 
days." 

"  No,  my  dear,  for  the  soldier  has  ceased  to 
need  human  aid.  He  has  gone  to  our  Father 
in  heaven." 

"  So  soon  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  we  cannot  regret  it,  for  he  suf- 
fered much,  and  the  surgeon  said  he  could 
never  be  a  well  man  again,  even  if  he  had 
rallied  so  as  to  be  about." 

"  But  I  do  wish  he  could  have  told  us  about 
Frank." 

"  So  do  I,  dear,  but  such  was  not  God's 
will,  and  we  must  be  resigned." 

"  I  try  to  be,  but  it  is  so  hard.  I  do  miss 
Frank  so  very  much." 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  261 

"  Come  ill  the  parlor,  my  dear,  and  sit  down 
by  me  on  this  sofa."  Mary  did  so,  and  her 
mother  continued ;  "  His  absence  has  been  a 
great  grief  to  me,  you  know,  my  daughter.  I 
was  not  well  wlien  he  left  us,  and  it  has 
seemed  as  if  anxiety  for  him  has  made  me 
worse.  I  know  it  has,  and  I  cannot  live  much 
longer  without  my  boy." 

Here  the  fortitude  of  the  mother  gave  way, 
and  a  burst  of  tears  followed.  Mary  wept  in 
sympathy,  and  because  of  her  own  grief  at  his 
absence. 

"  But,  mother,"  said  she,  in  a  few  moments, 
"  have  we  not  a  clue  to  Frank  ?  Did  you  ask 
where  Ti'ue  Blue  belonged  ?  " 

"  I  did  make  that  inquiry  and  learned  also 
his  name,  and  all  the  way  home,  I  comforted 
myself  with  the  idea  that  we  can  send  to  that 
place,  and  find  out.  But  I  did  not  ask  the 
name  my  dear,  misguided  boy  bears.  No  one 
could  have  told  me  that.      And  it  seems  to  me 


262  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

now,  that,  after  all,  the  knowledge  I  have  will 
be  of  little  avail." 

"  Mother,  I  do  believe  we  shall  have  him 
again,  and  soon.  What  say  you  to  have  me 
go  and  look  for  him  myself  ?  I  will  start  for 
Marblehead  as  soon  as  I  can  possibly  get 
ready,  and  hunt  there  for  him." 

"  How  will  you  proceed  ?  Will  it  be  of  any 
use  to  find  the  friends  of  this  dear  soldier  who 
has  just  gone  ?  If  we  only  knew  Frank's 
name,  we  could  get  their  address  from  the 
hospital  perhaps,  and  write  to  them  at  once." 

"  Yes,  but  mother,  it  would  be  of  little  use, 
for  if  Frank  was  determined  not  to  come 
home,  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  this  letter  he 
might  go  away,  and  then  we  should  have  no 
clue  whatever  to  him.  It  seems  to  me  that  I 
had  better  go  myself.  I  think  he  would  not 
refuse  to  return  with  me." 

"  What  would  you  do  first  when  you  get 
there  ?  " 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  263 

"Hunt  for  liiin  among  the  shoe  manufac- 
tories. You  know  he  said  he  had  been 
making  shoes." 

"  Well,  my  child,  you  may  go.  I  don't  like 
to  have  you  travel  alone,  but  I  cannot  leave 
myself,  or  I  would  go  with  you." 

"  Perhaps  I  can  find  some  one  going  as  far 
as  New  York.  From  there  I  could  easily  get 
to  Boston,  and  you  know  you  have  always 
taught  me  that  a  lady  can  travel  alone  in  the 
New  England  States  without  fear  of  annoy- 
ance." 

So  the  matter  was  decided.  In  a  few  days 
Mary's  preparations  were  made ;  her  music 
pupils  informed  of  her  intended  absence  for  a 
short  time,  and  a  gentleman  and  his  sister 
found  who  were  going  as  far  as  New  York. 
With  the  buoyant  hopes  of  youth,  chastened- 
a  little  by  the  remembrance  of  the  haunting 
grief  which  she  had  felt  ever  since  the  morning 
when  Frank's  note   was  found  lying   on  his 


264  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

table,  Mary  started  on  her  errand  of  mercy. 
Like  the  dear  Saviour  who  "  came  to  seek  and 
to  save  that  which  was  lost,"  she  went  forth 
hoping  to  redeem  her  brother,  to  save  him 
from  further  waywardness,  and  to  restore  him 
to  his  loving,  grief-stricken  mother.  A  noble 
errand !     A  faithful  sister ! 

The  journey  to  New  York  was  one  freed 
from  anxiety  or  care,  and  very  pleasant  to 
Mary.  Her  friends  saw  her  on  board  the 
steamer,  fairly  started  for  Boston,  and  then 
bade  her  "  good  bye,"  and  she  was  left  alone. 
It  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
and  a  calm,  bright  day.  The  steamer  passed 
through  Hurl-gate  without  the  tossing  and 
pitchings  usually  known  in  that  vicmity.  The 
water  was  calm,  and  scarce  a  breaker  ruffled 
the  smooth  surface.  Little  conception  could 
be  then  realized  of  its  mjelstrom  appearance 
when  its  waves  are  lashed  into  fury,  and  the 
storm-king  rides   in  triumph   over   the   mad- 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  265 

dened,  foaming  billows.  And  well  was  it  for 
Mary  that  the  voyage  was  so  pleasant,  since 
she  had  seldom  seen  the  ocean,  and  never 
sailed  far  on  it,  and  the  horrible  demon  of  sea- 
sickness might  have  made  her  trip  exceedingly 
disagreeable.  As  it  was,  she  was  able  to  eat 
her  supper  with  the  rest  of  the  passengers, 
then  retired  to  her  berth,  slept  soundly  while 
the  boat  was  passing  Point  Judith,  and  took 
tlie  cars  for  Boston  at  last,  with  renewed  hope 
and  restored  energies. 

On  her  arrival  in  Boston,  she  was  delayed 
for  some  hours  by  transacting  some  business 
for  a  friend,  and  finally  readied  the  Eastern 
Depot,  just  as  the  evening  train,  which  con- 
nects at  Salem  with  the  Marblehead  branch, 
were  about  leaving.  She  had  studied  her 
route  so  well  that  she  had  only  to  ask  the 
rapid  question  — "  Do  these  cars  go  to 
Salem  ?  "  hear  the  answer,  "  yes,"  —  and  jump 
on  board.     Her  baggage  was  in  a  small  valise 


266  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

which  she  fortunately  had  in  her  hand,  and 
was  therfore  not  delayed  hy  stopping  to  care 
for  it. 

On  whirled  the  cars,  out  of  the  city,  past 
the  State's  Prison,  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  the 
McLean  Asylum  —  on  and  on.  All  was  new 
and  strange  to  Mary,  and  as  the  shadows  of 
evening  gathered,  she  began  to  feel  a  little 
depressed. 

When  she  entered  the  car  she  found  it 
pretty  full.  A  lady,  however,  had  beckoned 
to  her,  and  she  found  a  seat  by  her  side.  No 
words  had  passed  between  them  except  a  quiet 
''  Thank  you,"  from  Mary,  in  grateful  acknowl- 
edgement for  the  seat. 

But  as  they  passed  through  Lynn,  Mary 
observed  that  the  houses  were  numerous,  and 
fancying  that  it  was  a  city  and  might  be 
Salem,  she  turned  to  the  lady  and  asked  if 
they  had  reached  Salem. 

"  Not  yet,"  was  the  simple  answer.    "  This 


THE  RUNAWAY   BOY.  267 

is  Lynn,  Swampscott  will  be  the  next  town, 
then  Salem." 

The  words  were  few,  but  the  tone  spoke 
volumes.  It  was  as  if  the  speaker  had  com- 
prehended at  once  the  young  girl's  need,  and 
was  ready  to  be  of  service.  Mary  looked  more 
attentively  at  her.  She  was  a  tall,  large 
woman,  yet,  though  so  large  there  was  nothing 
unpleasantly  masculine  about  her.  Her  face 
was  full  of  an  expression  at  once  benevolent 
and  energetic.  Mary  felt,  instinctively,  that 
she  was  in  the  presence  of  a  woman  who  was 
both  good  and  great  —  gifted  intellectually 
and  spiritually.  From  the  speaking  eyes  look- 
ed forth  a  soul  which  was  at  once  submissive 
to  God's  will,  but  imperial  in  the  assertion  of 
its  own,  where  duty  allowed.  There  was  a 
queenliness  about  her  companion,  which  did 
lot  oppress  Mary,  but  gave  her  confidence. 

As  for   Mary  —  her   companion   seemed   to 
read  her  at  once.     Gentle,  loving,  confiding, 


I 

268  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

she  was  just  the  one  for  the  stroiig-souled 
woman  at  her  side  to  clasp  in  the  embrace  of  a 
sisterly  regard,  and  to  care  for  with  half- 
maternal  interest. 

They  began  to  converse  ;  at  first  about  road- 
side objects,  then  of  the  country  and  the  war. 
The  lady,  whom  we  will  call  Hester,  was  clad 
in  deep  mourning,  and  Mary  rightly  concluded 
she  had  lost  a  friend  —  perhaps  lost  one  who 
was  a  martyr  for  dear  liberty.  But  Hester's 
grief  prevented  her  mention  of  the  fact,  and 
Mary's  diffidence  prevented  her  from  asking. 

Frank  and  Mary  were  much  alike  in  many 
things,  but  very  different  in  some  others. 
Frank,  with  a  heavy  secret  lying  on  his  heart, 
was  genial,  talkative,  mirthful  and  communi- 
cative. Mary,  with  nothing  to  hide,  was  quiet, 
almost  shrinking,  and  taciturn  if  not  reticent. 

Therefore  in  all  this  conversation  Mary  did 
not  once  give  her  travelling  companion  any 
clue  to  her  errand  or  deskes. 


THE    RUNAWAY    BOY.  2(39 

At  last  the  cars  rumbled  into  the  Salem 
Dejx>t.  The  couductor  announced  in  a  luud, 
shrill  voice,  that  passengers  must  here  change 
cars  for  Marblehead. 

Mary  arose.  So  did  Hester,  thinking,  if  she 
thought  at  all  aljout  it,  that  Mary  arose  in 
order  to  give  her  an  opportunity  to  pass  out. 
But  Mary  followed. 

"  Ah !  do  you  go  to  Marblehead  ? "  asked 
she,  as  Mary  asked  the  conductor  who  helped 
her  from  the  cars,  where  she  should  go  to  find 
the  cars  for  Marblehead. 

. "  Yes,  I  am  going  there,"  answered  Mary. 

"  Come  right  along  with  me  then,  I'll  show 
you." 

And  Mary  gladly  followed  her  benevolent 
guide,  and  was  soon  again  seated  beside  her, 
and  rolling  along  over  the  rails. 
;     "  Can  you  tell  me  about  the  shoemakers  in 
Marblehead  ?  "  asked  Mary. 

This   was   rather   a  strange   question,   and 


( 


270  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

Hester  opened  her  large  eyes.  "  There  are  a 
great  many  of  them,"  she  answered  quietly. 

"I  mean,  can  you  tell  me  how  to  find 
them  ?  " 

"  In  their  workshops,  I  presume." 

The  tone  was  a  little  cold,  as  if  the  ques- 
tions made  Mary  seem  somewhat  mysterious 
to  her  companion.  Mary  felt  this,  and  per- 
ceived that  she  ought  to  be  more  outspoken. 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  I  really  want.  My 
dear  young  brother  has  been  a  runaway  for 
about  two  years,  and  I  am  in  search  of  him. 
We  have  reason  to  think  he  is  in  Marblehead, 
and  as  he  wrote  us  word  that  he  had  been 
making  shoes,  we  thought  that  inquiry  among 
the  shoemakers  might  end  in  restoring  our  lost 
boy  to  his  home  again."  i 

"  I  will  help  you  all  I  can,  for  I  pity  you 
from  my  heart.  You  must  go  to  the  shoe- 
factories —  I'll  go  with  you.  I  hope  the  in- 
quiry will  not  be  fruitless,  nor  do  I  think  it 
wiU  be." 


) 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  271 

Frank's  name  and  age  were  mentioned,  and 
all  the  circumstances  of  his  early  and  runaway 
life  were  narrated,  except  that  no  mention  was 
made  of  True  Blue,  for  the  lady's  mourning 
made  Mary  cautious  about  speaking  of  one 
who  had  recently  died,  lest  she  might  awaken 
strong  and  sad  emotions. 

The  ride  to  Marblehead  was  soon  accom- 
plished, and  following  Hester,  Mary  descended 
from  the  car,  and  her  stranger  foot  pressed  the 
soil  of  Frank's  refuge. 

"  We  will  go  immediately  to  a  good  friend 
of  mine,  who  has  a  large  shoe  factory,  perhaps 
Frank  may  be  there.  It  will  be  of  no  use  to 
ask  for  him  by  name,  for  no  one  would  know 
him,  as  he  has  changed  his  name." 

They  soon  reached  the  house  of  Mr.  Erno. 
The  store  was  already  closed,  therefore  they 
sought  him  at  his  residence.  He  promised  in 
the  morning  to  hunt  with  them  for  the  run- 
away, and  did  not  think  there  was  one  in  his 


!72  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

own  establishment.  Mary  tliouglit  to  herself, 
"  If  Frank  were  in  his  employ,  he  would 
surely  know  him,  for  this  Mr.  Erno  is  so 
genial,  so  gentlemanly  and  kind." 

"  Now  where  shall  I  go  ?  "  was  Mary's  next 
question.     "  I  must  find  a  hotel." 

"  Our  hotel  is  a  good  one  in  some  respects, 
yet  may  not  be  just  the  place  for  a  lone  young 
woman ;  that  is,  you  would  feel  more  lonely 
than  if  you  remained  with  Hester.  I  advise 
her  to  take  you  home  with  her." 

"  I  had  not  thought  of  it,"  answered  Hester, 
"  but  you  are  right.  She  would  feel  much 
better  with  me,  than  alone  at  a  pul^lic  house. 
Will  you  accompany  me  to  my  boarding- 
place  ?  " 

"  Most  willingly,"  replied  Mary,  and  the 
twain  went  forth  from  Mr.  Erno's  hospitable 
mansion  together.  Somehow  as  they  walked 
along  the  rugged,  crooked  streets  they  seemed 
to  be  very  near  each  other.      Some  strange. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  273 

subtle  power  seemed  to  draw  their  souls  to- 
gether, and  a  feelhig  of  the  utmost  confidence 
sprang  up  between  them. 

"  Oh,  how  I  do  long  to  see  my  brother !  " 
was  Mary's  exclamation,  after  they  had  walked 
a  little  way  in  silence. 

"  I  am  glad  your  brother  is  yet  on  earth," 
was  the  response.  "  There  is  more  chance  of 
your  seeing  hun,  than  I  shall  ever  have  of  see- 
ing my  dear  and  only  brother.  God  has  taken 
him  home." 

The  tone  was  one  full  of  resignation,  but 
Mary  felt  the  strong  arm  on  which  she  was 
leaning  quiver,  as  if  with  the  thrill  of  anguish. 

"  Were  you  with  him?  "  asked  Mary,  hesi- 
tatingly, for  she  feared  to  probe  the  wound, 
and  yet  she  felt  an  unconquerable  interest  in 
asking  about  the  departed  brother. 

"xVlas!  no,"  replied  Hester,  mournfully, 
"  he  died  far  away  fi*om  me,  in  a  hospital,  and 
I,  who  was  then  teaching,  away  from  this 


274  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

place,  did  not  even  hear  that  he  was  wounded, 
till  the  news  came  of  his  death.  I  would  have 
gone  to  him.  I  am  his  only  sister,  and  we 
were  orphans.  Sometimes  I  feel  as  if  I  could 
not  give  him  up  even  for  his  country's  sake, 
and  then  again  I  am  calm,  and  feel  that  all  is 
for  the  best." 

"  Where  was  the  hospital  ?  " 

"  In  Washington.  Not  so  far  away  but  that 
I  could  have  gone.  I  could  feel  more  com- 
forted if  I  knew  he  had  kind  attendance  in  his 
last  hours." 

"  I  have  visited  some  of  the  Washington 
hospitals,  and  found  good  nurses  there." 

"  I  know  there  are  noble  men  and  women 
among  the  attendants  at  those  hospitals,  and 
the  agents  of  the  Commissions  —  Sanitary  and 
Christian  —  are  kind  and  attentive  to  our  sick 
and  wounded  soldiers." 

''  My  mother  was  there  not  long  ago,  and 
muiistered  to  one  young  man  in  his  last  mo- 
ments.    Hs  was  from  Marblehead." 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  275 

"  From  Marblehcad  !  " 
"  Yes,  and  his  name  was  Martin." 
"  Martin  ?  and  Hester  impulsively  caught 
the  hand  of  the  fair  young  girl  at  her  side, 
'who  continued  —  "  We  did  not  learn  any  more 
of  him,  except  that  he  sometimes  bore  the 
name  of  '  True  Blue.'  " 

"  My  brother  !  my  own  dear  brother  !  "  ex- 
claimed Hester.  "  And  7/our  mother  took  care 
of  him  in  his  last  hours.  Oh,  hurry  along 
home  with  me !  I  cannot  do  too  much  for 
you ! " 

As  they  went  Mary  told  all  she  knew  of 
True  Blue  —  her  brother's  casual  mention  of 
him  in  a  letter  —  her  call  upon  the  hospital 
nurse,  and  the  mention  of  True  Blue's  pseu- 
donym which  attracted  attention  and  awoke 
curiosity  —  the  note  from  Oscar,  which  Mary 
afterward  showed  to  Hester,  having  taken  it 
with  her  to  show  to  Frank  —  the  efforts  of  her 
mother  in  behalf  of  the  young  soldier,  the 
affecting  scene  of  the  final  hour. 


276  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

Hester's  tears  fell  fast,  and  yet  her  heart 
was  gladdened.  She  knew  now  that  her 
precious  brother  was  tenderly  cared  for,  and 
that  he  was  willing  to  depart,  and,  with  a 
grateful  heart,  she  renewed  her  assurances  to 
Mary  that  on  the  morrow  she  would  aid  her  in 
looking  for  her  brother  Frank,  and  leave  no 
stone  unturned  till  they  found  him,  if  he  was 
in  Marblehead. 

The  morrow  dawned,  a  bright  and  sunny 
day.  Hester  and  Mary  were  early  astir,  and 
not  much  time  elapsed  ere  they  had  taken 
breakfast,  and  were  ready  for  the  search. 

They  went  first  to  Mr.  Erno's  manufactory, 
a  large  establishment  where  many  hands  were 
employed.     Mr.  Erno  met  them  at  the  door. 

"  I  have  made  diligent  inquiry  for  Frank 
Nelson,  but  no  one  has  heard  of  such  a  name, 
so  he  has  not  revealed  it.  I  have  inquired 
concerning  the  boys  that  work  for  us,  but  find 
no  one  that  agrees  with  your  description." 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  277 

Mary's  countenance  fell.  "  Do  not  be  dis- 
heartened. We  will  inquire  eleswhere.  I 
will  accompany  you.'*  So  saying,  Mr.  Erno 
got  his  hat,  and  started  out  upon  the  search 
with  the  two  sorrowing  sisters. 

They  walked  on  briskly.  Every  boy  she 
met  Mary  watched,  and  sometimes  peered 
eagerly  and  inquiringly  into  their  faces. 

Hester  told  Mr.  Erno  the  good  news  Mary 
had  imparted  concerning  her  own  hero-brother, 
and  Mr.  Erno,  who  esteemed  True  Blue,  felt  a 
more  lively  interest  in  Mary  and  her  search. 

They  called  at  every  shoe-factory  in  the 
place,  and  Mr.  Erno  made  the  most  exhaust- 
ing inquiry,  but  all  in  vain. 

They  then  returned  to  Mr.  Erno's  establish- 
ment. 

"  I  feel  just  as  if  he  was  one  of  your  boys," 
said  Mary. 

"  Well,  sit  down,  ladies.  Wlio  knows  but 
that  he  may  come   in  while  you  are  here, 


278  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

though  I  know  nothing  of  him.  Stranger 
things  tlian  that  have  happened.  Providence 
works  miracles  in  our  days,  sometimes,  though 
after  a  diflferent  method  than  in  the  Saviour's 
time.  I'm  sure  it  is  ahnost  like  a  miracle  — 
your  falling  in  with  Hester." 

"  But  if  I  could  only  find  my  runaway 
brother.'' 

Just  before  Mr.  Erno  had  begun  to  speak,  a 
man  entered,  and  stood  waiting  to  accost  him. 
He  could  not  help  hearing  the  words  of  both 
Mr.  Erno  and  Mary,  and  he  spoke  on  the  im- 
pulse of  the  moment,  "  I  can  tell  you  where 
he  is." 

Mary  sprang  to  her  feet,  followed  by  Hester. 
All  turned  inquiring  glances  upon  the  speaker. 

"  At  least,  I  think  I  can.  I  have  a  boy  in 
my  employ,  and  at  my  home,  who  this  morn- 
ing told  me  he  was  a  runaway.  We  never 
dreamed  of  it,  for  he  has  uniformly  behaved 
like  a  good  and  honest  lad.     He  only  told  us 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  279 

that  fact,  and  then  left  the  room  in  tears,  and 
I've  not  seen  him  since.  His  mind  is  greatly 
troubled  now,  but  as  True  Blue  would  say, 
He'll  soon  cast  anchor  and  be  at  rest.'  " 

"  True  Blue  ! "  exclaimed  Hester,  and  she 
aid  lier  hand  on  Mr.  Bartlett's  arm.  "  I'm 
his  sister." 

"  Pardon  me,  if  I  have  hurt  your  feelings 
by  thus  mentioning  Skipper  Martin,  but  he 
was  a  dear  friend  to  me.  I  saw  a  great  deal 
of  him,  and  have  got  into  a  habit  of  quoting 
his  sea-speeches." 

"  It  is  all  right,  sir,"  said  Hester,  with  a 
look  of  grateful  pride. 

"  Wliat  name  does  the  boy  bear  of  whom 
you  told  us  ?  "  asked  Mary. 

"  We  call  him  Thomas  Evans,  but  I 
houldn  't  wonder  if  it  was  an  assumed  name, 
{.nd  that  his  name  was  Frank,  for  he  always 
looks  up  at  that  name,  and  seems  so  accus- 
tomed to  it,  that  I've  sometimes  laughed  at 


280  THE    RUNAWAY  BOY. 

him   and   told  him  he'd    better    change   his 
name." 

"  It  must  be  my  long  lost  brother.     Oh,  do 

let  me  go  to  him  !  " 

"No,  my  young  friend,"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Erno,  "  let  me  go.  You  wait  with  Hester, 
and  I  will  jump  into  my  carriage,  and  bring 
him  to  you  very  soon." 

Mr.  Erno  departed  on  his  errand  of  mercy, 
his  benevolent  heart  glowing  with  the  satisfac- 
tion he  felt  in  rendering  aid  to  a  fellow  being. 
He  was  soon  at  Mr.  Bartlett's  house.  The 
moment  his  eyes  rested  on  Frank,  he  knew 
him,  for  he  had  seen  him  at  Temperance  and 
other  meetings,  and  besides  he  had  met  him 
on  the  streets,  and  marked  the  politeness  with 
which  Frank  always  accosted  him.  Mr.  Erno 
was  what  one  might  call  a  public  man,  usually 
a  selectman,  on  the  school  committee  and 
holding  various  other  town  offices.  So  every 
boy  ill  town  knew  him,  whether  he  knew  the 
boy  or  not. 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  281 

Mr.  Erno  rapped  at  Mr.  Bartlett's  door  — 
the  door  of  the  work-shop,  which  was  attached 
to  the  house.     Frank  opened  it. 

"  Good  morning,  young  man !  "  exclaimed 
Mr.  Erno,  in  his  own  frank,  genial  way,  and 
entered.  Mrs.  Bartlett  happened  to  be  in  the 
work-shop  binding  some  shoes.  Mr.  Erno 
greeted  her  cordially,  and  then  began  — 

"  Well,  Frank ! "  Frank  started.  Mr. 
Erno  noticed  the  start  and  smiled.  Frank 
colored. 

"  This  is  Thomas  Evans,"  said  Mrs.  Bartlett 
quietly. 

"  No,  this  is  Frank  Nelson." 

The  shoe  dropped  from  Frank's  hands,  and 
he  sprang  to  his  feet.  Mr.  Erno  noticed  his 
agitation,  but  only  smiled  again  —  that  quiet, 
benevolent  smile  —  and  continued  : 

"  His  sister  Mary  is  waiting  for  him  in  my 
office." 

Frank   cauprht  his  hand.     The  color   went 


282  THE  RUNAWAY   BOT. 

and  came.  The  tears  started  in  his  searching 
eyes ;  he  could  only  gasp  forth,  "  Let  me  go 
back  with  you  !     Let  me  go  !  " 

"Yes  indeed,  my  boy,  I  have  come  for 
you."  Frank  snatched  his  cap,  and  was  out- 
doors in  an  instant.  Mr.  Erno  only  stopped 
for  a  few  words  to  Mrs.  Bartlett  of  explanation, 
and  then  jumped  into  his  carriage  and  with 
Frank  at  his  side,  drove  rapidly  back  to  Mary, 
who  was  waiting  anxiously  for  his  return. 

There  was  no  need  of  introduction  or  par- 
leying when  the  boy  leaped  from  the  carriage 
and  rushed  into  the  presence  of  his  sister. 
He  forgot  everything  else.  He  cared  for 
nobody  else.  He  threw  himself  into  the  out- 
stretched arms  of  that  precious  sister,  who, 
like  the  Great  and  Good  Shepherd,  had  come 
to  seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost,  and 
sobbed  aloud.  There  was  not  a  dry  eye  in  the 
room.  Hester  thought  of  her  own  dear  broth- 
er on  the  eternal  heights,  and  felt  her  heart 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  283 

already  warmed  toward  one  he  had  loved  and 
blessed.  The  lost  was  found,  and  like  as  the 
angels  rejoice  over  the  returning  penitent 
child  of  God,  so  did  the  spectators  in  that 
hour  rejoice  with  Frank  and  his  noble  sister 
l^Iary. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


HOME  AGAIN. 

T  Mr.  Erno's  suggestion  a  tel- 
egram was  immediately  sent 
to  Washington  amiouncing 
to  the  waiting,  anxious  moth- 
er, the  glad  and  welcome 
news  that  the  brother  and 
sister  were  once  more  togeth- 
er, and  both  would  soon  be  in  her  presence. 

The  message  was  delayed  on  its  way  so  that 
the  evening  of  that  day  had  arrived  before  it 
reached  the  house  where  a  fond,  anxious 
mother  was  sending  many  a  thought  after  her 
absent  son   and  daughter.     All  her  boarders 

284 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  285 

had  gone  out  for  the  evening.     Only  the  ser- 
vants  were   in   the   house  with  herself.     She 
came  with  a  weary  step  from  the  dining  room 
into  the  parlor.     The  curtains  were  down,  but 
the  gas  being  screened  to  its  minimum  as  no 
one  needed  tlie  light,  was  not  burning  bril- 
liantly   enough    to    eclipse    the    moonbeams 
which  shone  on  the  curtains.      Mrs.  Nelson 
advanced  to  the  window,  drew  up  one  of  the 
curtains   and    looked   out    into   the    glorious 
Autumn  night.      The  pavements  were  abso- 
lutely glorified,  and  made   something  better 
than  mere  stones  by  the  soft  and  mellow  ray 
of  the  harvest  moon,  and  all  the  sharp  angles 
of  the  neighboring  houses  were  removed,  so 
that  moonlight  in  the  city  was  really  pleasant 
to  the  eye  of  that  lover  of  the  beautiful  who 
looked   upon  it.      The  street   was   unusually 
quiet,  but  as  she  lingered  there  in  the  peaceful 
moonlight  the  sound  of  a  rapid  footstep  fell 
upon  her  ear.     It  hui-ried  along.     Nearer  and 


286  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

more  near.  She  could  discern  a  colored  boy 
with  something  in  his  hand.  He  looked  up  at 
her  windows.  He  ascended  her  steps.  Such 
occurrences  happen  daily,  but  there  was  a  new 
and  strange  sensation  experienced  by  the  lady 
^as  she  went  to  the  door.  It  seemed  as  if  some 
crisis  m  her  existence  had  arrived. 

The  servant  below  had  heard  the  bell,  and 
came  to  attend  to  her  duty,  but  finding  her 
mistress  had  preceded  her,  stood  with  her 
usual  curiosity,  where  she  could  listen  to  the 
colloquy. 

"Here  is  a  telegraphic  despatch  for  Mrs. 
Nelson." 

"  A  despatch  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it's  paid  for,''  and  the  boy  turned  to 

go- 
Without  pausing  to  shut  the  door,  Mrs.  Nel- 
son   tore    open   the    envelope,   and    read    as 
follows  : 

"  Prank  is  with  me.  We  shall  be  in  Wash- 
ington soon.  M.  Nelson." 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  287 

It  was  too  much.  The  thought  of  evil  news 
came  to  Mrs.  Nelson's  mind,  as  she  took  the 
message,  and  she  nerved  her  soul  to  bear  any 
shock  of  that  kind,  but  this  good  news  she  was 
liardly  able  to  hear.  Her  eyes  grew  dim,  her 
brain  reeled,  and  she  would  have  fallen  but 
for  the  servant  girl  who  had  been  standing 
near  eager  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  intelligence, 
but,  to  do  her  justice,  when  Mrs.  Nelson  so  far 
recovered  as  to  tell  her  the  contents  of  the 
envelope,  she  was  enthusiastic  in  her  sincere 
expression  of  joy  and  gratitude. 

Meanwhile  where  were  Mary  and  Frank  ? 
With  Hester,  of  course,  for  she  could  not  bear 
to  have  them  leave  lier  yet.  She  had  prevailed 
on  them  to  wait  till  the  morrow,  and  spend  the 
time  with  her.  They  did  so,  Frank  leaving 
his  sister  only  just  long  enough  to  pack  his 
things,  while  Mary  talked  with  Mrs.  Bartlett 
of  her  dear  brother,  and  thanked  her  and  her 
husband  for  all  their  kindness  to  the  wayward 
but  beloved  boy. 


288  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

Frank  was  now  eager  to  get  home  again. 
He  longed  for  his  mother's  smile  once  more. 
But  he  saw  that  it  would  be  a  consolation  to 
True  Blue's  sister  if  they  tarried  longer,  and 
therefore  he  cheerfully  consented  to  remain 
till  the  next  morning. 

At  Hester's  place  of  abode  there  was  a  fine 
piano  in  the  parlor.  From  Frank's  inquiries 
of  Mary  concerning  her  pupils,  Hester  found 
that  Mary  was  a  teacher  of  music.  She  there- 
fore solicited  her  to  play  and  sing.  "  Come, 
Miss  Nelson,"  said  she,  "  please  oblige  me 
with  a  little  music." 

"  Oh  yes,  with  pleasure  ;  you  will  direct  me 
what  to  smg." 

"  Can  you  sing  this  ?  "  handing  her  a  paper 
somewhat  new.  "  There  are  some  lines  from 
the  New  York  Evening  Post.  Can  you  not 
set  them  to  some  music,  and  sing  them  to  me. 
They  are  frought  with  sadness  to  my  bereaved 
heart,  but  yet  they  are  very  beautiful,  and  I 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  289 

should  like  to  have  them  wedded  to  a  fitting 
melody." 

Mary  sat  down  to  the  piano,  and  after  a 
little  preliminary  playing,  she  sang  the  follow- 
ing lines,  with  great  expression  and  power, 
having  first  asked  the  authorship,  and  receiv- 
ing for  answer  the  intelligence  that  they  came 
in  a  New  York  paper. 

*'  Thank  God,  the  sky  is  clearing ! 
The  clouds  are  hurrying  past  I 
Thank  God  the  day  is  nearing ! 

The  dawn  is  coming  fast. 
And  when  glad  herald  voices 

Shall  tell  us  peace  has  come, 
This  thought  shall  most  rejoice  us ; 
*  Our  boys  are  coming  home  ! ' 

Soon  shall  the  voice  of  singing 

Drown  war's  tremendous  din  ; 
Soon  shall  the  joy-bells  ringing 

Bring  peace  and  freedom  in. 
The  jubilee  bon-tires  burning, 

Shall  soon  light  up  the  dome, 
And  soon,  to  soothe  our  yearning, 

Our  boys  are  coming  home. 

The  vacant  fire-side  places 
Have  waited  for  them  long; 


290  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

The  love-light  lacks  then-  faces, 
The  chorus  waits  their  song ; 

A  shadowy  tear  has  haunted 
The  long-deserted  room ; 

But  now  our  prayers  are  granted. 
Our  boys  are  coming  home ! 

O  mother,  calmly  waiting 

For  that  beloved  son ! 
0  sister,  proudly  dating 

The  victories  he  has  won ! 
O  maiden,  softly  humming 

The  love-song  while  you  roam  — 
Joy,  joy,  the  boys  are  coming  — 

Our  boys  arc  coming  home ! 

And  yet  —  oh,  keenest  son-ow! 

They're  coming,  but  not  all : 
Full  many  a  dark  to-morrow 

Shall  wear  its  sable  pall 
For  thousands  who  are  sleeping 

Beneath  the  empurpled  loam ; 
Woe !  Avoc !  for  those  we're  weeping. 

Who  never  will  come  home ! 

O  sad  heait,  hnsh  thy  ycaniing ; 

Wait  but  a  little  while  ! 
With  hoping  and  believing: 

Thy  woe  and  fear  beguile. 
Wait  for  the  joyous  meeting 

Beyond  the  starry  dome. 
For  there  our  boys  are  waiting 

To  bid  us  welcome  home." 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  291 

Long  before  Mary  finished,  every  one  of  her 
auditors  were  weeping,  and  her  own  eyes 
were  dim  with  tears.  Frank  wept  at  the 
thought  of  a  wayward  boy  and  forgiving  moth- 
er ;  Hester  remembered  the  dear  soldier  broth- 
er who  was  sleeping  too  soundly  ever  to  hear 
the  bugle  blast  again,  and  Mary  wept  in  sym- 
pathy with  both. 

She  rose  from  the  piano.  Like  her  mother 
at  that  very  hour,  she  walked  to  the  window 
and  lifted  the  curtam.  The  same  glorious 
moonlight  bathed  the  landscape  with  its  silvery 
brightness. 

Hester  looked  up  and  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  beauty  beyond  the  casement,  "  Let  us  go 
forth  for  a  walk!"  exclaimed  she:  "do  you 
not  want  to  show  your  sister  the  old  fort, 
Frank  ?  That  is  one  of  the  places  she  has  not 
yet  seen." 

They  had  all  been,  that  afternoon,  to  visit 
the  grave  of  one   whom  each  respected  and 


292  THE  RUNAWAY   BOY. 

loved,  and  over  the  hallowed  mound,  Frank 
made  a  new  resolve  to  live  honestly,  like  his 
friend,  henceforth,  seeking  to  fulfill  every  duty, 
and  fleeing  from  no  responsibility,  or  field  of 
labor  where  God  should  place  him. 

Tiiey  were  soon  on  their  way  to  the  old  fort, 
climbed  its  grassy  eminences,  and  looked  out 
upon  the  broad  ocean  from  that  commanding 
position. 

Mary  almost  held  her  breath  with  delight. 
At  last  she  broke  the  silence  with  the  utter- 
ance, half- whispered,  "  How  beautiful !  how 
very  beautiful ! '' 

And  the  scene  was  truly  enchanting.  The 
mystic  charms  of  the  moonlight  hour  lent 
their  bewitching  influence,  and  the  sparkling, 
dancing  waters  spread  out  beneath  the  silvery 
rays  of  Night's  glorious  Queen,  seemed  full  of 
entrancing  beauty  to  the  eye  of  one  to  whom 
the  sight  was  new.  It  was  beautiful  to  Frank, 
also,  for  he  shared  his  sister's-  love  of  beauty ; 


THE  RUNAWAY  BOY.  293 

and  it  was  no  less  lovely  to  the  clear,  calm  eye 
of  tlie  queenly  Hester,  though  she  had  gazed 
upon  it  a  thousand  times.  Mary  carried  home 
with  her,  in  memory's  gallery,  that  picture  of 
the  rocky  headland,  the  island-dotted  ocean, 
the  sparkling  waters,  the  silvery  moonbeams, 
and  regarded  it  as  one  of  the  choicest  gems 
ever  stored  therein. 

Morning  dawned,  and  the  cars  started  for 
Salem,J)earing  tho  runaway  boy  and  his  sister, 
after  an  affectionate  farewell  to  Hester,  and 
kind  parting  words  from  the  Bartletts,  and  Mr. 
Erno.  On,  on  the  travellers  sped  toward  the 
Capital  city,  and  the  mother  that  counted  the 
hours,  and  longed  to  clasp  her  only  son  once 
more  in  her  maternal  embrace. 

They  journeyed  rapidly.  At  last  they  reach- 
ed Washington.  The  very  first  person  whom 
Frank  recognized  was  Oscar.  The  latter 
rushed  to  the  side  of  the  runaway.  Frank 
half  shrank  from  him,  but  Mary  greeted  him 


t94:  THE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

\ritli,  "  0  sir,  I  thank  you  for  that  note.  It 
has  given  me  back  my  brother." 

"  Don't  hang  back  from  me,  Frank,"  ex- 
claimed Oscar,  seizing  Frank's  hand.  "  I  did 
wrong  in  urging  you  to  go  away.  I  see  it  all, 
and  learning  you  were  expected  soon,  I've 
been  here  all  day  watching  every  train,  to  ask 
your  forgiveness,  and  permission  to  go  with 
you  to  your  mother,  and  ask  hers.  Will  you 
forgive  me  ?  "  ^ 

"  Yes,  Frank,  forgive  and  forget.  Only 
never  again  entice  him  from  us  again^"  said 
Mary. 

Oscar  bowed,  and  looked  eloquently  his 
thanks ;  Frank  shook  his  hand  with  a  cordial 
pressure,  "  I  am  glad  to  be  back  and  begin  an 
honest  life  again,"  said  he,  "  and  you  may 
come  home  with  me  if  you  will." 

The  rapid  wheels  bore  them  to  the  long 
darkened  home.  The  runaway  first  ascended 
the  steps.     A  waiting  hand  opened  and  closed 


THE   RUNAWAY   BOY.  295 

the  door.  Mary  and  Oscar  purposely  lingered 
outside,  and  there  was  no  eye  save  those  of 
God  and  the  angels  to  witness  the  meeting  of 
the  mother  and  her  penitent  boy. 

When  Mary  and  Oscar  entered,  the  mother 
sat  on  the  parlor  sofa  with  the  arm  of  her 
returned  prodigal  s©n  around  her,  and  traces 
of  tears  were  on  botli  faces.  Mary  presented 
Oscar,  and  he  implored  forgiveness  with  an 
earnestness  that  betokened  sincerity. 

"  Yes,  mother,  forgive  him,"  said  Frank, 
"  I  shall  feel  more  sure  then  that  you  forgive 
me." 

Mrs.  Nelson  reached  out  her  hand  to  Ogcar, 
laymg  the  other  on  the  head  of  her  boy  ;  "  I  do 
forgive  you  for  the  sake  of  this  my  son  who 
'  was  dead  and  is  alive  again,  was  lost  and  is 
found.'  " 

That  night  was  the  happiest  which  had  been 
known  under  that  roof  since  the  night  of 
Frank's  departure.  A  dark  cloud  was  rifted, 
and  the  simlight  of  joy  came  smiling  through. 


296  fHJE  RUNAWAY  BOY. 

Thus  have  we  followed  tlie  footsteps  of  the 
runaway  and  his  sister.  Possibly  in  the 
future,  more  may  be  learned  of  Frank  and 
Oscar,  and  the  reader  of  Hiis  volume  see  how 
both  were  faithful  to  the  call  of  duty,  serving 

•*  God,  and  their  native  land." 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 

Wilmer 
526 


